Activision appears to be aware of a rather egregious new piece of cheating software that's plaguing Call of Duty and has taken down a YouTube video advertising the program. This advanced piece of cheating software has been termed the "next-generation of cheating" thanks to its console compatibility and machine learning technology, and it is virtually undetectable.
Call of Duty is particularly notorious for its problem with cheaters. Warzone, as a free game, is especially troubled with these hackers since there's no cost for them to create a new account and continue their crimes after they've been banned. The rise in crossplay has made hacking in general a much more noticeable problem for console players. The issue has grown so vast, as many players are comfortable with openly cheating, that even streamers are having to prove that they're not manipulating the game in their favor with elaborate camera and stream set-ups. Activision is still making efforts to stomp out cheating by directly combating those who create the software responsible.
According to Anti-Cheat Police Department on Twitter, Activision has removed a video advertising a new, advanced piece of cheating software that essentially turns players into a magnet for the user's gun. It makes it incredibly easy to kill other players, taking skill out of the equation. Players became aware of the Call of Duty cheats earlier this week and as the news gained traction within the community, it seems Activision caught wind of it as well. Although nothing official has been stated, it would appear Activision is attempting to directly take down those responsible for creating the software.
There's no telling how Activision plans to handle this, but it's clear that the publisher is aware and is doing something about it. Whether or not the company's lawyers can send a simple cease and desist letter to the creators or if it'll need to do something a bit more drastic remains to be seen, but it makes sense that Activision would want to keep the integrity of Call of Duty intact.
The gaming giant has a history of taking legal action against Call of Duty cheat creators, so it's likely that a similar course of action could take place here. As Activision tries to corner the free-to-play market, it'll want to keep its audience happy by exterminating cheaters quickly and efficiently, or it could lose tons of money in potential microtransactions or even full-priced games if players come to believe that the whole series is plagued with cheaters. As of right now, over half a million cheaters have been banned from Call of Duty and the number is likely to continue rising.