Raven Software Implements Warzone Feature Showing Hackers Banned in Real Time

Call of Duty (COD): Warzone players will be able to see when a hacker is discovered and subsequently banned within their own match.

Raven Software, the lead development studio working on Warzone, patched a new feature this week that allows players to see hackers getting detected and banned while playing the game. This is likely meant to be both a deterrent and safeguard ahead of the COD: Vanguard announcement set for Thursday, Aug. 19. There's nothing like a new game announcement to have players swarm back to a franchise in droves.

It looks like the company is making good on its anti-cheat promise, after all.

Raven Software Implements Feature That Uncovers Hackers

The feature was originally uncovered by @charlieINTEL, a news outlet for COD. According to them, the company "updated the kill feed in Warzone to now show when they ban a player during a game."

"The kill feed now says 'Username has been banned' instead of 'disconnected,'" they wrote in a tweet, attaching a blacked-out image with that text.

Some players have reported this update goes even further than simple visual notification. Hacking groups and Discord servers have posted about the update with concern, citing that Raven has added some "new stuff" to the anti-cheat software. Additional work will be needed in order to keep it undetectable, one screencap says.

The news has shocked and emboldened both players and content creators, alike. JGOD, one of the biggest names in the game who expressed deep frustration with the lack of action against cheating, replied to the announcement with a "speechless" gif.

Several called it a "win"—in no uncertain terms. Clearly, being able to see that the company's software was working as intended in some capacity went a long way for otherwise struggling Warzone fans.

Others jumped on the joke with additional suggestions. International eSports and Gaming Host Paola Alejandra (@pancakepow) replied that the notification should include some form of the shame walk from HBO's Game of Thrones.

Still, a handful were left unconvinced or otherwise unmoved. Some doubted it was real at all and that perhaps the feature randomly made up usernames to pretend to ban. The fact that these hackers likely had an arsenal of additional accounts was a popular rebuttal, as well. Unfortunately, with a game as infested as Warzone has become, it will likely take longer for players to see the magnitude of results.

Neither Raven nor Activision have let any details slip about a new anti-cheat overhaul meant to drop with Vanguard at the time of writing.