Activision has launched another offensive against cheaters in Call of Duty, but this time it is using a different method that could genuinely be effective. The series’ anti-cheat system will now study player inputs to spot patterns that are physically impossible to perform with a standard controller.
Hackers have turned into a full-blown infestation in Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, as cheaters exploit aim assist and gain unfair edges that completely ruin the experience for legitimate players. Activision already attempted to wipe out cheaters nearly three years ago in Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 with fairly limited success, but now Team Ricochet is returning to the fight with a totally different plan that could prove far more efficient.
How Activision plans to fight back
Rather than trying to directly detect the hardware itself – such as XIM, Cronus Zen, or ReaSnow S1 – Activision is shifting its focus toward analyzing gameplay behavior to uncover patterns no human could realistically produce with a regular controller. The Ricochet team has made it crystal clear that these devices are banned in Call of Duty under all circumstances. “They are cheating tools, even when presented as accessibility solutions,” Activision said (via The Verge).
The core issue with earlier detection methods was that these devices are built specifically to stay hidden, adapt, and constantly tweak their settings to slip past detection. Manufacturers push firmware updates nonstop, and to make matters worse, the hardware is easily purchased from major retailers, turning enforcement into an endless game of cat and mouse. Simply spotting the hardware does not work when cheaters continuously update their setups to bypass conventional anti-cheat measures.
Activision is now changing course and approaching the issue from a completely different direction. Instead of zeroing in on the device, the system will examine the player’s actions. “We analyze input timing, consistency, and response patterns to tell natural human play apart from machine-altered input,” the team explains. “This enables us to flag recoil control, aiming patterns, and input precision that exceed what is physically achievable with a standard controller or mouse.”
In simple terms, if your aim looks too perfect, your recoil management is unrealistically clean, or your movement is excessively precise, the system will classify it as cheating because a human cannot maintain that level of performance consistently. This strategy is smarter than chasing physical devices that can be updated with relative ease. These new third-party device detections will go live alongside Season 2 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on February 5.
On top of that, Activision is rolling out a stronger cloud-based anti-cheat solution that validates a player’s PC using Microsoft Azure Attestation to stop attempts at bypassing system-level security. This added layer works alongside the already enforced TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirements. If everything functions as intended, this approach could finally address one of Call of Duty’s longest-running issues, although it is likely only a matter of time before hardware makers search for new loopholes. At least Activision is making the effort.
What Season 2 brings to Black Ops 7
According to information shared on Activision’s website, Season 2 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launches on February 5 and delivers a heavy load of content across every mode. In multiplayer, players will get a wave of new and remastered maps: Torment, Sake, Nexus, and the classic Slums will be available at launch, while mid-season introduces Torque, Cliff Town (a reworked Yemen), Mission: Peak for 20v20 matches, plus the return of Grind and Firing Range, now featuring wall jumps.
Game modes are also getting an overhaul, with Safeguard and Overdrive returning, alongside limited-time variants such as Luck Confirmed (a Lunar New Year-themed Kill Confirmed), Solo Hearts Moshpit for Valentine’s Day, and the mid-season debut of Gauntlet and Infected. Ranked mode comes back as well, using Call of Duty League rules, maps, and restrictions, letting players compete in 4v4 matches to climb divisions and unlock exclusive rewards like operator skins, camos, and weapon blueprints.
In Zombies, Season 2 introduces the fourth survival map, Mars, where players confront the final boss of the Astra Malorum main quest. Two additional modes are added: Cursed Survival, which throws players in with only a starting pistol and a stripped-down interface, and Starting Room, which traps the squad in the entry area with no way out. Mid-season also brings Paradox Junction, a round-based map that continues the storyline.
Source: 3djuegos
