At least it’ll be a little less crowded in Verdansk
Developer Raven Software has announced that it has purged Call of Duty: Warzone of a further 30,000 players on the grounds of cheating and/or hacking. The popular battle royale title is awash with foul play, and both Raven and Activision have stated that they are committed to the uphill battle of keeping Verdansk even relatively free of shenanigans.
This newest wave of bans sees a total of 100,000 players pruned from Call of Duty: Warzone so far in 2021. Of course, the free-to-play title is one of the most popular shooters on the market, with a playerbase of millions. As such – while the removal of every cheater or hacked account is to be praised by the community – it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the rule-breakers who remain, not to mention those who simply rejoin under a proxy account.
In related news, two further Warzone cheaters were singled out and removed by one of Call of Duty‘s own. Alex Zedra, the streamer/model who portrays character “Mara” in the military shooter’s universe, spotted some sketchy behavior from a couple who were both using in-game hacks while streaming. With the merciless nature befitting of a Warcom operator, Zedra sent word through to Twitch, an action that would eventually see both players suspended.
Cheating, particularly in FPS titles, is as old as the genre itself, and unfortunately very much “goes with the territory.” Regardless, it’s good to see developers at least make some effort to remove those who are spoiling the enjoyment of others. Ultimately, as long as there are video games, there will be cheating – some people simply have to win. But watch your step in Warzone, or you might even find yourself in Mara’s crosshairs.
