Call of Duty recently unveiled its new kernel-level anti-cheat Ricochet that will be used by both Call of Duty: Vanguard (at launch) as well as Call of Duty: Warzone(following map update). As reported by Vice, many cheaters have already gotten their hands on the anti-cheat, and it’s possible that they may have cracked it already.
Activision reportedly gave an early build of the anti-cheat to select third-parties, and some cheaters were able to get access to the files. However, Activision isn’t too afraid of the whole situation, since the build was an early one which is relatively easy to crack.
“So as long as they weren’t testing with a non-release ready version (for example a non-obfuscated version or a version with debug symbols available) the only impact is that the cheat devs get a small head start. Running a public test is likely to be more valuable to Activision than the extra secrecy,” said Paul Chamberlain (a developer who previously worked on Riot’s Vanguard anti-cheat system) to Vice.
“That will help the people that would in any case be able to bypass that first version. The less advanced cheaters are screwed either way as they don’t have the skills to come fight in the kernel,” one of the sources said.
Call of Duty has been struggling with cheaters for a very long time, so it’s understandable that Activision wants Ricochet to solve its long-lasting problems. Whether this plan bears any fruit or not remains to be seen for now.