A petition has appeared on Change.org requesting that Activision explain unwarranted bans in the free-to-play battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The petition claims that Activision has been banning innocent players without explanation or warning, resulting in the loss of COD Points and experience.
Earlier this month, Activision revealed that it has issued over 70,000 bans worldwide in Call of Duty: Warzone. Shortly after, it released an official statement explaining how it will continue to investigate and ban all possible cheaters as quickly as possible. All investigations are processed through Activision's 24/7 security teams or automated software, and all punishments are final with no review.
The author of the petition suggests that Activision's most recent "Ban Wave" is targeting innocent players and assigning permanent bans. Attempts to contact Activision or the game's developer Infinity Ward lead to the same answer: "Temporary and permanent suspensions from all game modes are final and are not subject to review. Activision Support cannot assist with or answer questions about enforcements."
After spending "a few hundred dollars" on COD Points and three battle passes, the author's account ban has taken away all their progress and investment. This is done with no explanation, warning, or evidence of cheating disclosed to the victim of the ban. Although the author of the petition would like their account reinstated, they are at least looking for a reason behind the ban from Activision.
Activision has a challenging problem on its hands. With a player population of over 50 million players in Call of Duty: Warzone alone it becomes increasingly hard to give full attention to every report. Whether the author of the petition is truthful or not, there are sure to be some innocent players that are accidental victims of the bans. It becomes increasingly concerning that Activision has decided on all bans being final when players invest so much time and money into their accounts.
Activision's security team cannot be above error when handling such a large population and computer programs make mistakes. It is very likely that there are innocent victims to the bans, and it seems unreasonable that Activision has no system for appeals. The problem of cheaters is prominent in almost any competitive game, and how to handle them is continuously debated by developers and publishers. Although Activision is trying to remove cheaters from the game, banning innocent players will quickly result in the community turning against it.
The petition is looking for 500 signatures before it reaches completion. There are already over 400 players in support and the comments are all asking for the same thing: an explanation of their ban and a way to appeal the decision. Even if the petition has no impact, it does show there is a flaw in the zero-tolerance system that Activision has implemented in its popular shooter.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
Source: Change.org