Cheat Maker Must Pay Activision $14M and Surrender Domain

Activision has won a significant legal battle against EngineOwning, a notorious cheat maker, with the United States District Court of California ordering EngineOwning to pay over $14 million in damages and hand over its domain name. This judgement follows a string of violations from EngineOwning, which provided cheats for popular titles like "Call of Duty" and "Counter-Strike." Despite previous rulings, EngineOwning continued its operations, prompting further legal action from Activision. The court found Activision's request for damages reasonable, calculated based on the number of software downloads in the U.S. Additionally, Activision aims to deter cheating behavior as it approaches the release of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6." In an effort to maintain fair play, Activision has announced that accounts involved in boosting behavior will face severe penalties, including reset SR and restrictions in Ranked Play modes.

Activision is implementing measures such as resetting the SR of accounts found boosting in Multiplayer or Warzone Ranked Play and permanently restricting these accounts from accessing Ranked Play modes in "Modern Warfare 3" and "Warzone." These efforts aim to promote fair play and deter cheating behavior.

"Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" is the latest installment in the long-running and highly popular "Call of Duty" series. Known for its intense first-person shooter gameplay, the franchise has faced persistent challenges with cheating, especially in its free-to-play "Warzone" mode. Activision's ongoing legal battles and enforcement actions highlight its commitment to maintaining a fair gaming environment as newer titles continue to be released.