Anti-fraud: Activision at work

The battle against cheating in the online gaming world is a constant war where victories are rare but sweet. Activision, the publisher of the popular Call of Duty games, recently scored a major victory in this battle. According to reports, they have successfully taken down two of the biggest suppliers of cheating software, Raging Nation and Stealthware. This success is a clear signal that Activision will not tolerate blatant attempts to undermine the integrity of its games.

However, interestingly, even though the cheating software has been removed, the cheating itself remains. This is because cheating in online games is a complex problem that cannot be solved easily. Online gaming is global and accessible, which means that cheaters are also from all over the world and are constantly adapting and finding new ways to do their nefarious activities.

Activision has also experimented with removing SBMM (skill-based match selection) from their games, with some interesting results. While the top players enjoyed an advantage, all other players experienced a decrease in playing time. This shows that finding the right balance in online games is a complex process that requires constant tweaking and testing.

While some companies like Activision have shown commitment to fighting cheating, it seems to be a never-ending battle. Cheaters are always one step ahead of game developers and their countermeasures. Cheating may never really be completely eradicated, but it's important that companies like Activision continue their efforts and send a clear message that cheating is not acceptable.

For players, this means they must always be alert and ready to report suspicious activity. Only by working together can the gamer community and game developers maintain the integrity and fairness of online gaming. And maybe, one day, those rare victories will become more common.