With Modern Warfare 3’s launch on Xbox Game Pass, Warzone has seen an enormous surge in cheaters once again, with many players now labeling the CoD Battle Royale “unplayable.”
Nine months after the closure of Microsoft’s historic $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Call of Duty is now on Xbox Game Pass. There was plenty of speculation in the surrounding months, with even Microsoft questioning whether to bring the juggernaut FPS series to its subscription service.
Now with Modern Warfare 3 available as of July 24, and this year’s new release, Black Ops 6, set to be available on day one with its October 25 launch, speculation has been put to bed. However, now that plans are in motion, not everything is going according to the script.
In light of Modern Warfare 3’s arrival on Xbox Game Pass, a new issue has come into focus. Those playing on PC through the Microsoft Store are being shown as Xbox players in-game. An Xbox logo appears next to their name in lobbies. Due to this incorrect identification, cheaters on PC are able to mask their cheats by looking like Xbox players.
There seems to be an influx in cheaters across Warzone after Season 5 launch, including in Ranked.Many of the cheaters seem to be playing via PC Game Pass (Microsoft Store version) as they appear with "Xbox" logo in lobby and are using hacks. No comment from Activision yet. pic.twitter.com/pQlDG2acaf
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) July 28, 2024
Multiple prominent content creators, including the likes of JGOD, and our own sister site Charlie Intel, have all reported an uptick in cheaters of late. In particular, many of these cheaters are seen with the Xbox logo next to their name, even though most cheats stem from PC.
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While cheaters are nothing new, this time around, the surge in pesky players seems to be skirting around Activision’s radar. The RICOCHET anticheat system isn’t catching them in its net, and devs are yet to publicly comment on the matter.
Naturally, many non-cheating players are sounding the alarm while fleeing the game in droves. “Ran into five different cheaters in five different games last night,” one chimed in. “It’s ridiculous,” another concurred.
“Basically unplayable. Almost impossible to stay alive on the ground and barely even get to it. Forget about getting your loadout,” one player added.
With Season 5 in full swing, you’ll have to be careful as you drop into lobbies over the coming days. Should Activision address the matter, we’ll be sure to update you here with further details.