Call of Duty Threatens Legal Action Against Cronus and Other Cheating Hardware Manufacturers

Call of Duty is going after the creators of Cronus and other manufacturers of hardware that can be used to cheat in games. Call of Duty is one of the most beloved multiplayer franchises on the market, but its popularity also means it has to combat with a lot of cheating. For years, Call of Duty has been at war with cheaters, even going as far as entering legal battles with those who make software that lets players cheat. Those who are caught cheating can have their entire system banned from ever playing Call of Duty again, but still, the problem persists despite Activision’s efforts to put a stop to it.

Some of these cheats allow players to see and shoot through walls, killing players before they could ever realistically see them. Some try to hide it so they remain undetected, but others will shamelessly do it for you to see in the killcam. It’s pretty egregious, to say the least. There’s also hardware that players can buy, such as the Cronus Zen, that digitally modifies your controller. Some of these mods include eliminating recoil from guns, enabling rapid fire on guns that shouldn’t have it like a semi-automatic pistol, aim assist, and much more. There has been debate over whether or not this is cheating with some saying it is a helpful tool for those with disabilities, but it can absolutely be used to cheat too.

Call of Duty Targets Cronus and Other Third-Party Hardware That Allows Cheating

PlayStation has made efforts to block these kinds of devices, but it only goes so far. With that said, Call of Duty is looking to get these kinds of companies to go away. In a new blog post, Activision has confirmed it has sent cease and desist letters to companies that manufacture third-party hardware that can be used to cheat, like the Cronus Zen. Activision has tried to enable detections and make it clear this kind of hardware is not allowed in Call of Duty, but the manufacturers have worked to try and circumvent the security measures put in place. Activision notes that it is prepared to take these companies to court, but has had compliance from some device makers.

Despite detections and our public stance against third-party hardware used to cheat in our games (and others throughout the industry), the makers of these devices continue to issue updates to try to circumvent our security systems,” reads the blog post. “In response, we have delivered cease and desist demands to several companies that create and sell these products and will take them to court if necessary. We have already seen compliance from some of the companies we’ve contacted; however, we will continue to pursue other device makers in the market, globally, as well as people that create scripts to manipulate Call of Duty game code.”

In case there was any ambiguity over it, Call of Duty will ban players who use these devices. Call of Duty isn’t the only one who has targeted these kinds of hardware makers either as websites that sell Cronus have a notice that warns players about what could happen if they use them in Rocket League or Fortnite: “Epic Games, Inc. has informed Collective Minds that the Cronus Zen, Cronus Max, and Strike Pack devices are prohibited from being used in Fortnite and Rocket League. All Fortnite and Rocket League users must refrain from using such restricted devices with Fortnite and Rocket League, and any players found using these devices or attempting to bypass these restrictions will be permanently banned from Fortnite and Rocket League.”

As of right now, it remains to be seen just how effective this will be in controlling cheating in Call of Duty, but it’s a step in the right direction. A new Call of Duty is expected to be released this fall and will likely be announced later this summer. Rumors indicate that it will be a new Black Ops game set after the events of 2012’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.