Call of Duty Addresses Shadow Bans, Spam Reporting Ahead of Season 3
Ahead of Call of Duty Season 3’s launch, the Ricochet Anti-Cheat team released a progress report discussing the management of cheaters through shadowban lobbies and the impact of spam reporting. The update also highlighted changes to the KillCam user interface, offering more details about attackers’ loadouts and perks.
The upcoming season will bring back the beloved Verdansk map to Warzone, with some quality-of-life improvements, lighting adjustments, and changes to Metro Station entrances. The event, running from April 3 to 15, will offer cosmetic rewards for players who log in during this time.
In the anti-cheat update, Activision clarified the process behind Limited Matchmaking (LMM) lobbies—also known as shadowban lobbies—explaining that flagged players continue to play while being investigated. Party members of suspected cheaters will remain in the same lobby to prevent system bypassing. The report also emphasized that spam reporting is ineffective in fighting cheaters and could result in penalties for players misusing the system.
Season 3 will introduce updates to the KillCam, providing players with more information about how they were eliminated, including details about the attacker’s loadout, line-of-sight, and perks. These changes aim to improve transparency and discourage false reports.
With over 228,000 account bans since the launch of Black Ops 6, Activision continues to take action against cheating, including shutting down cheat makers and resellers. As players prepare for Season 3, it remains to be seen how effective these changes will be in the ongoing fight against cheaters.
