The creators of Call of Duty have launched a massive ban wave, expelling hundreds of cheaters from Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone, in reaction to a recent spike in cheating that has caused a great deal of player annoyance and outrage. This measure attempts to ensure fair play in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone, hence addressing the issue and improving the overall gaming experience.

Even if cheating had always been an issue in the Call of Duty series, the launch of Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox Game Pass coincided with a recent rise in instances of cheating. Because the Microsoft Store incorrectly identified cheaters using the PC version as Xbox gamers, cheaters were able to hide their activity by having the Xbox logo shown in multiplayer lobbies. In response, Call of Duty stated that the problem was caused by a transient error in the RICOCHET Anti-Cheat system. They then made an update available that made it easier to distinguish between Xbox and PC players, which improved cheat detection.

Call of Duty just revealed new initiatives in its campaign to combat cheating. The Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play leaderboards have been cleansed by the RICOCHET Anti-Cheat team, who have also taken action against accounts that have been found to be "cheating and boosting." More than 65,000 accounts have been banned in both Ranked and unRanked modes during the course of the last week. The developer has stated that it would continue to keep an eye on all game modes and penalise players who engage in cheating or boosting in order to uphold a fair play environment.

The announcement that Call of Duty will punish in-game cheaters seems positive, but user feedback has been inconsistent. While some gamers have voiced their satisfaction and gratitude for the action taken, others are still dubious. According to others, those who are banned are likely to open new accounts, which could make the bans less effective. Another player advocated for an improvement to the anti-cheat system to be more like Valorant's Vanguard in the hopes that it will better eliminate hackers, criticising the existing strategy and drawing comparisons to earlier Warzone techniques prior to the introduction of RICOCHET.