Activision films itself serving cease and desist to Call of Duty cheat maker, warns "we will find you"

Activision has published video footage of a legal representative serving a cease-and-desist order to a known cheat maker, escalating its public campaign against those who create and sell exploits for Call of Duty. The move marks a shift from the publisher's usual technical countermeasures, aiming instead to disrupt the people who profit from cheating at the source.

The video, posted on the official Call of Duty X account, shows a process server arriving at the home of an individual identified as Elocarry—a cheat developer who creates exploits for Call of Duty as well as other games such as Rust and Apex Legends. The exchange is brief and civil: the server hands over the legal documents, explains they are cease-and-desist orders, and when the recipient asks "What's that?" the server advises him to contact the relevant attorney's office. The recipient's face is blurred and their name redacted in the footage, but Activision confirmed the video is "an excerpt from a real recording."

The publisher's stated goal is to send a broader warning to the cheating ecosystem. In a follow-up post, Activision said it has served more than 80 cease-and-desist letters in its fight against cheat makers, disrupted over 375 reseller operations, and shut down 30 vendors entirely. The company added that it is prepared to escalate further, stating: "there's more to come, including litigation when necessary. We're prepared to take cheat developers and sellers to court to protect fair play."

The immediate effect on Elocarry appears to be tangible. A screenshot shared by Activision from the cheat maker's Discord server shows a message stating he has "temporarily paused sales" of Call of Duty cheats while he "review[s] a matter internally." The publisher's message to the broader cheat-selling community was blunt: "BUILD CHEATS. SELL CHEATS. WE WILL FIND YOU."

The anti-cheat campaign is part of a wider effort that extends beyond legal threats. Activision's primary technical defence against cheaters remains the kernel-level Ricochet anti-cheat system, which was implemented in 2021 and has since caught hundreds of thousands of Call of Duty and Warzone cheaters. However, the company acknowledged that cheat makers continue to adapt and circumvent these measures, hence the new focus on legal action against the creators and sellers themselves.

Activision also took the opportunity to discuss how these anti-cheat efforts are being carried forward into the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. During last weekend's closed beta test, the publisher reported that "infection rates were lower, hardware bans were harder to evade and our time to action improved." The company did not provide further technical details, but the statement suggests improvements to the Ricochet system are being tested ahead of the full release.

The second beta weekend for Modern Warfare 4 is currently ongoing and is open to all players, unlike the first which was restricted. Alongside standard multiplayer, the beta includes a campaign mission and access to the Warzone battle royale mode. Early impressions from those who have played the game noted the high level of detail but expressed reservations about the map design.

Activision's approach of filming the legal service and posting it online is a new tactic in its long-running battle against cheating. By making the process public, the publisher aims to deter not only individual cheaters but also the businesses that supply them. The company described its strategy as targeting "the people and businesses behind cheating products" to "disrupt the ecosystem that profits from them." Whether this public shaming will prove more effective than technical bans alone remains to be seen, but the message to cheat makers is clear: the publisher is willing to come to your door.