Early today, Activision announced the latest progress in its special operation against cheating in Call of Duty multiplayer. This move has drawn significant attention: the publisher directly sent legal personnel to the residence of renowned cheat developer Elocarry to serve a cease-and-desist order, filming the entire process.
The official Call of Duty account posted a one-minute video on X, documenting legal personnel arriving at Elocarry's residence in Ohio with cease-and-desist documents. The video itself lacked strong dramatic conflict—after explaining their purpose, the legal team handed over the legal notice, Elocarry accepted the materials, and the legal personnel then departed.
However, whether the video content was dramatic is not the point. Activision aimed to demonstrate to the public that its efforts against Call of Duty cheats are yielding tangible results. It also showed its willingness to use offline, public actions to create online buzz and deter cheat developers. Activision also shared a screenshot of an Elocarry Discord announcement, which stated that cheats for Call of Duty (and another unspecified game) had been temporarily suspended while the creator dealt with "internal matters." Additionally, Activision released anti-cheat data from the recent Modern Warfare 4 early access test weekend, highlighting improvements in its anti-cheat system, such as increased ban efficiency and faster detection speeds:
Activision stated in its announcement: "As part of our ongoing efforts to combat cheat developers and sellers, we have dismantled over 375 cheat distribution channels, issued more than 80 cease-and-desist letters, and shut down over 30 cheat suppliers. Further actions are forthcoming, including litigation where necessary. To maintain a fair gaming environment, we are prepared to take cheat developers and sellers to court."
A look at Elocarry's website reveals that all its cheats for the Call of Duty series—both main titles and Warzone—have been taken down. However, similar cheats for other popular games like Rust, Apex Legends™, and Marvel Rivals remain on sale. Elocarry offers features such as aimbots and wallhacks for these games, claiming their products are undetectable. The provider previously offered similar cheats for Call of Duty as well.
Activision has been fighting Call of Duty cheats for years, frequently suing cheat creators and employing various in-game technical measures to prevent cheaters from playing normally. However, this long-standing battle is essentially a game of "whack-a-M.O.L.E," with cheat developers constantly upgrading their techniques. With the release of Modern Warfare 4 approaching, Activision naturally wants to prove to potential players that the new title will balance enjoyment with a fair playing field as much as possible.
In the final push of this social media campaign, Activision assured players that it would continue to actively combat cheating in the upcoming second round of testing for Modern Warfare 4. More anti-cheat updates will be announced before the game's official release in October.