Unified Call of Duty Code of Conduct Announced, 500,000 Accounts Banned to Date

Activision announced its new, unified Code of Conduct for the Call of Duty franchise Tuesday, an initiative that players will be presented with and asked to acknowledge in-game beginning with the Modern Warfare II Open Beta.

As part of the ongoing scrubbing of its global player database to remove toxic users, Activision also revealed that 500,000+ accounts have been banned to date.

Additionally, upwards of 300,000 accounts have reportedly been renamed since COD's automated filtering systems were launched, with a more than 55% drop in the number of offensive username and clan tag reports said to have taken place, year-over-year, in the month of August alone in Warzone.

"We recognize battling toxicity will be an ongoing effort," Activision's blog post reads. "We will continue to monitor our titles, address player-submitted reports and expand our technology to combat toxic behavior.

"We know there is still a lot of work to do to combat toxicity and we look forward to making progress together as a community."

The new COD Code of Conduct is said to be supported by three core values in hopes of promoting a positive gaming experience for all players:

1. Treat Everyone With Respect

"We do not tolerate bullying or harassment, including derogatory comments based on race, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, culture, faith, mental or physical abilities, or country of origin. All members of our community should be treated with dignity and respect. Communication with others, whether using text or voice chat, must be free of offensive or harmful language. Hate speech and discriminatory language is offensive and unacceptable, as is harassment and threatening another player."

2. Compete With Integrity

"Competitive integrity is core to the Call of Duty experience. Progression is earned through good, clean gameplay. Cheating and griefing or other threats to fair play will not be tolerated. You are responsible for how your account is used. The use of cheats, including third-party software, is unacceptable. Exploiting bugs or engaging in any activity that grants an unfair advantage is considered cheating."

3. Stay Vigilant

"Working together we can keep the game fair and fun for all. To promote an enjoyable gameplay experience, utilize in-game tools to report any incidents or inappropriate behaviors you encounter."