Since the launch of Call of Duty: Warzone over a month ago, hackers have been prevalent throughout the game, thanks in part to its cross-play features. Infinity Ward finally retaliated this week and issued 70,000 bans to players they have found to be cheating in the free-to-play game. 

In a recent Tweet, Infinity Ward addressed their move by stating, “We've now issued over 70,000 bans worldwide to protect #Warzone from cheaters. We're continuing to deploy dedicated security updates and work continues on improving in-game reporting. We'll share more details soon. We are watching. We have zero tolerance for cheaters.” 

While IW’s move shows progression, many players remain skeptical. Vague promises of new “dedicated security updates” have left many players speculating on when or if there will be any tangible improvement in this growing issue. As several have pointed out, due to this game being free-to-play, banning hackers by their account does not deter or prevent them from making a new account at no cost. Some believe that only hardware or IP bans would curb the throng of cheaters.

    It is no doubt that Call of Duty: Warzone is a fun and interesting approach to the Battle Royale genre. However, in a game of over 50 million players, there needs to be better methods implemented to subdue the growing problem. Many have suggested that adding a player report option while spectating could fill the gap for what IW’s basic anti-cheat covers. This function is found in a variety of PC games, such as League of Legends and Dead By Daylight, which allows players to help remove cheaters from the game.