The popular Call of Duty: Warzone website SBMM Warzone has received orders to shut down. Activision connected the site's owners and threatened legal action if it does not shut down within seven days. Activision claims that the Call of Duty: Warzone site violates Activision's copyright.
SBMM Warzone has been the center of Call of Duty: Warzone controversy in the past. The website was actively used by casual and competitive players to help find easier lobbies and avoid the game's mandatory SBMM tactics. While the website uses the Call of Duty API, it does not offer more than stats which are otherwise available via other similar sources.
In a letter sent to SBMM Warzone, publisher Activision claims the website violates several laws. Activision is claiming that the website violates the API terms of use, infringes on the Call of Duty copyright, violates the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and could lead to finds for SBMM Warzone under the GDPR. The official date for termination is within seven days of its receipt, but SBMM Warzone is making an attempt to overturn this decision. Call of Duty: Warzone may have had its controversies, but now some fans have expressed a concern that Activision may be overstepping its boundaries.
SBMM Warzone argues the Call of Duty API and player data is not the property of Activision. Instead, the players decide whether or not to allow use of the data through the Private and Public game settings. In Call of Duty: Warzone, SBMM is a controversial topic, and all the website has done thus far is expose the data reinforcing many fan's notions about the mechanic.
Meanwhile, Activision continues to persist in its legal action. Many believe that Activision has a problem with SBMM Warzone monetizing player data within the website. SBMM Warzone runs advertisements, sells memberships, and more, which is actively selling player data mined from the Call of Duty servers.
SBMM Warzone that the monetization has nothing to do with Activision's complaint, but the community believes differently. In response to the legal threats, SBMM Warzone is promoting a series of tweets to show public Call of Duty: Warzone support and possibly sway Activision's decisions. SBMM Warzone says it is willing to compromise on its name, features, and even pay Activision for the data, but as of this writing it has received no reply from the publisher's legal team.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.