Activision cracking down on popular Call of Duty: Warzone app that basically constituted cheating
"Lobby shopping" is what Call of Duty: Warzone players have been calling the ability to check the skill level of players in a lobby prior to joining it, enabling them to pass on those that include a lot of tough competition.
Activision cracking down on popular Call of Duty: Warzone app that basically constituted cheating
No longer lobby shopping season.
"Lobby shopping" is what Call of Duty: Warzone players have been calling the ability to check the skill level of players in a lobby prior to joining it, enabling them to pass on those that include a lot of tough competition.
There are several ways players, notably Twitch streamers and content creators, have been able to do that over the years. But the use of one app in particular - Warzone Agent - has been considered by many to be cheating, and Activision is finally doing something about it.
Alongside the launch of Modern Warfare 4's version of Warzone and the game's first season of post-launch content, Call of Duty's anti-cheat team Ricochet has announced it's officially cracking down on Warzone Agent.
"Yesterday, we began taking action against Warzone Agent, a paid, unauthorised third party tool that lets users lobby shop in Warzone," the developer revealed in a post on X. "Ricochet anti-cheat will block players attempting to load the software and instruct them to unload it before accessing multiplayer."
Having the ability to cherrypick the lobby with the lowest-skilled players possible bypasses the game's matchmaking algorithm, potentially ruining the game for the dozens of other players in the match. Historically, content creators have used the app (and other methods) to post impressive kill records.
The developer added in a follow-up message that: "Using unauthorised software to manipulate the player experience violates Activision terms of use and leaves your account and hardware subject to enforcement." The language seems to stop just short of outright confirming those players using Warzone Agent will be banned.
As part of this crackdown, Ricochet reiterated its stance on boosting - artificially increasing (or decreasing) one's skill rating - saying that it too is considered cheating. "Receiving a boost, having another player log in to boost your account, or purchasing a boosted account are all against policy," the developer said.
"Boosting services flood lobbies with low effort accounts used to farm XP and complete challenges. Those accounts can later be sold as Ranked Play ready, directly feeding the cheating marketplace."
More than 20,000 boosting-related accounts have been removed since the launch of Modern Warfare 4, according to the developer, and Ricochet will "continue to apply pressure" in this area.
The quality of multiplayer was a particular highlight in Eurogamer's review of Modern Warfare 4, in which Dom Peppiatt lauded the complexity of weapon handling, which works without taking away from accessibility of the gunplay.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (2026)
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