Activision is continuing its fight against cheating in video games by filing a lawsuit against EngineOwning, a tool provider that provides unfair advantages in Call of Duty.
” We believe everyone should be able to win and enjoy online games “EngineOwning announces on the home page of its site, where the German company offers tools to cheat in several multiplayer games (such as Call of Duty). If she tries somehow to pass herself off as a white knight, her ambition is not at all to Activision’s liking. The multinational has made the fight against cheating a priority and, as a result, decided to file a complaint against EngineOwning – GamesIndustry spotted in an article published on January 5, 2022.
Activision criticizes EngineOwning for a lot of things: “ trafficking in circumvention devices ”,“ intentional interference in contractual relations ” and ” unfair competition “. The American publisher believes that the software provided undermines the Call of Duty gaming community and may represent a shortfall. Activision hopes for ” punitive and exemplary sanctions “.
To fight cheating even more, Activision attacks the source
EngineOwning markets cheat tools in the form of three options that depend on the number of days of use: € 3.89 for 3 days, € 15.59 for 30 days and € 31.19 for 90 days. The catalog of games concerned is quite varied: Call of Duty (including Battle Royale Warzone), Battlefield, Halo Infinite or Titanfall 2. Note that it is currently not possible to take advantage of cheat tools in Call of Duty: Vanguard, the latest opus to date.
By tackling EngineOwning, Activision is tackling the problem at the source or, rather, at one of the sources. ” As Call of Duty games are so popular, unscrupulous individuals and companies like EngineOwning frequently look for ways to hijack our games to make money by reselling cheat tools, hacks, and other malicious software. knowing that they are ruining the experience of other players and that they are damaging Activision “, Can we read in the court document.
We fully understand Activision’s position: cheating is a phenomenon that can cause heavy damage within a community. By dint of losing, players may be tempted to look elsewhere – which can lower Activision’s revenue (since some users are leaving). The company does not minimize this risk in its complaint, just like the impact on its reputation and image.
Activision is all the more under an obligation to act as it ensures a zero tolerance policy against those who would be tempted to cheat. And it is completely ready to arm itself with controversial measures – such as this spyware capable of acting on the kernel (which manages the resources of the PC) – to establish its position. Among his measures, he also seeks to make cheaters play together. Are they sufficient? Nothing is less certain: in a tweet posted on December 22, 2021, Activision announced that it had banned nearly 50,000 people in a single day.