Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launched 3 days ago and the internet is currently overflowing with complaints about rampant cheating in the multiplayer mode, with aimbotting and noclipping recorded by players. While there were examples of cheating in the Beta, fans hoped Activision and Treyarch would launch the game with competent anti-cheat included. It seems this isn’t the case. It doesn’t take long before you bump into the first video documenting a cheater over on r/blackopscoldwar when browsing Hot, or New, for that matter, and even less time before you see the second, third, fourth… Understandably, players are quite concerned about the implications that this will have for the future of multiplayer in Black Ops Cold War, since the cheater issue has plagued Modern Warfare and Warzone throughout their entire lifespans, with the developers unable to enact any truly effective measures against this phenomenon. Aimbotting seems to be the most common hack used, and is also the most blatant since the high kill counts will inevitably land the cheater in the “best play” highlight when the match ends, showing everyone exactly how the ‘skillful’ player in question immediately zeroes in on opponents he can’t even see yet. Noclipping is another problematic cheat, where hackers enable themselves to walk through map objects, walls and other static elements without collision, allowing them to take out other players while beneath the ground or inside a wall while being impossible to hit. Both of these issues are clearly ruining the experience for millions of players worldwide trying to play fair. Hopefully the outrage from fans causes enough of a stir to promote some change and the implementation of proper anti-cheat measures, saving the multiplayer of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War before players start to abandon it. Cheating will always be an inevitable issue, but efficient anti-cheat measures can push the issue back and achieve tolerable levels, so that most players aren’t impacted. We will continue to cover the unfolding issue of cheating in Cold War multiplayer.
