After teasing a reveal that cheaters weren’t going to like one bit, Activision unveiled Call of Duty: Warzone’s new anti-cheat system that’s rolling out later this year. It’s called “Ricochet Anti-Cheat,” and it’ll be released in Warzone whenever the game gets its Pacific-themed Call of Duty: Vanguard update. It’s a kernel-level anti-cheat system which means that it’ll have a “high level of access to monitor and manage software and applications on a PC” and will be required for PC users who want to play Warzone.
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Activision and Raven Software have been hyping up Warzone’s new anti-cheat plans for awhile now, and on Wednesday, we finally learned more about Ricochet. A full rundown of what’s included in the anti-cheat package naturally wasn’t discussed since that’d give cheaters a blueprint for how to work around the systems, but Activision did give a broad overview of Ricochet with an accompanying FAQ answering more specific questions about it.
When discussing the kernel-level quality of the Ricochet Anti-Cheat system, Activision also said that it’ll be “launching first” for Warzone with the driver coming to Vanguard at a later date.
“In addition to server enhancements coming with RICOCHET Anti-Cheat is the launch of a new PC kernel-level driver, developed internally for the Call of Duty franchise, and launching first for Call of Duty: Warzone,” Activision said. “This driver will assist in the identification of cheaters, reinforcing and strengthening the overall server security. The kernel-level driver launches alongside the Pacific update for Warzone later this year.”
Riot Games’ Valorant caught some flak when it was announced that its anti-cheat system called “Vanguard” would also have kernel-level properties. Likely as a way to get ahead of some of those reservations, Activision attempted to assuage worries about its anti-cheat system having too much access to someone’s PC.
“In its initial rollout on Call of Duty: Warzone, the kernel-level driver will only operate when you play on PC,” Activision said. “The driver is not always-on. The software turns on when you start Call of Duty: Warzone and shuts down when you close the game. Plus, the kernel-level driver only monitors and reports activity related to Call of Duty.”
A more detailed explanation of the kernel-level driver’s functions was given in the post, too. The new Ricochet Anti-Cheat system will roll out with Warzone’s Pacific update coming later this year, though a specific release date has not yet been given.
