Call of Duty developer Treyarch has acknowledged criticisms around the Ricochet anti-cheat software, admitting it “may not be enough for players.”
Activision made a lot of noise when it announced its Call of Duty and Warzone Ricochet anti-cheat security system back in 2021, touting its kernel-level driver as a “a broad enhancement to the security” of the online games and an advanced tool to help the developers stay a step ahead of the cheaters. The security system has since bred some amusingly novel techniques to curb cheating like taking away the offenders’ guns mid-game and removing their ability to see or hear other players, and the latest update finally targets third-party devices like the infamous Cronus.
Despite these advancements, cheating has and will continue to persist as cheat-makers find ways to work around Ricochet, and some players say updates are “too late” (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)and “not enough.” (opens in new tab) In a rather candid reply from Treyarch (opens in new tab), which notably isn’t the main developer on the current Modern Warfare 2 or Warzone 2, the Call of Duty studio addressed a recent anti-cheat report (opens in new tab) and acknowledged that it’s an ongoing struggle keeping the cheaters at bay:
“I appreciate that what I have to share here may not be enough for players, and you have every right to share your criticisms; anti-cheat is a constant effort. It is the proverbial game of cat vs. mouse, and we are constantly working toward stopping and thwarting their efforts. I think you are right, this is a step in the right direction. I’m excited for Ricochet and the teams I work with to keep iterating so we can do our best to provide the best matches possible for players.”
This is the unfortunate reality of a situation where a company is playing defense against an active and persistent threat. The cheaters cheat, the anti-cheat detects their latest methods and counters them, and the cheaters either work around the defense line or develop a new strategy, and the cycle continues. The best outcome here is that Ricochet continues adapting fast enough to minimize the effectiveness of cheaters to a point where their efforts stop being worth the payout – which is, I’ll remind you, undeserved wins in an online video game.
In more exciting news, Warzone 2 season 3 launches next week.