Call of Duty Bans Surge: 135k Accounts Deleted, Fans Raise Doubts

Call of Duty faces significant challenges, extending beyond simply dwindling player counts (as evidenced by SteamDB data). Prior to the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's second season, developers addressed their ongoing battle against cheaters, reporting over 136,000 account suspensions since the November 2024 introduction of ranked mode. Further anti-cheat enhancements are underway.

The developers also highlighted server infrastructure improvements, aiming for enhanced connection stability.

This positive outlook, however, is met with considerable skepticism. Leading content creators are publicly questioning the efficacy of these changes, and Reddit discussions reflect widespread player dissatisfaction with perceived minimal improvements in server quality and matchmaking.

Player burnout is significant, with terms like SBMM (Skill-Based Matchmaking) and EOMM (Engagement Optimized Matchmaking) becoming common criticisms. This erosion of trust is undeniable, and Activision's ability to successfully address these issues remains uncertain.