Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is cracking down on what it calls “disruptive behavior,” specifically players who go AFK to boost account levels without playing or who play on alternate servers via VPN.
The franchise's Ricochet Anti-Cheat technology has been optimized to better detect AFK players who join matches simply to collect XP with no intention of playing, disrupting team balance and infuriating teammates.
Anyone wishing to unlock ranked mode will now have to win 50 created multiplayer matches before doing so, to ensure that ranked players are at the correct skill level (presumably, to give less experienced players a chance to improve but also stop the sweaty veterans). create new accounts that are matched with newcomers).
Interestingly, this change is also designed to provide Ricochet with a cache of historical match data to 'examine', with top players further examined via a replay investigation tool to ensure everyone is playing by the rules.
These updates will also apply to Ranked Mode when it arrives in Call of Duty Warzone, the patch notes say.
Yesterday we took a look at the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 season 1 battle pass, which includes a parasite skin and what looks like a copy of Rocket Raccoon.
Call of Duty Warzone and Black Ops 6 Season 1 launches today at 5pm UK time.
“For a series built on thrills and explosive gratification, its retreat from the well-trodden formula echoes the industry's continued allergy to risk at large,” wrote Chris Tapsell in Eurogamer's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 review.