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Massive Ban Wave Hits Call of Duty Players Using Popular Cheat Provider ArtificialAiming
July 16, 2025
Several players of the immensely popular first-person shooter Call of Duty found themselves permanently banned last week after allegedly using cheats from ArtificialAiming, one of the longest-running cheat providers in the gaming world.
The crackdown, widely discussed across social media and cheat forums, appears to have been part of a sweeping enforcement campaign by Activision, the game’s publisher. Video game streamer ItsHapa took to X (formerly Twitter) to report a "massive wave of permabans" that affected users of ArtificialAiming’s cheats — particularly for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The bans are reportedly irreversible, with some cheaters lamenting the loss of accounts they had used for years.
“It’s been a long run. [Good game] all,” one banned user posted on a private forum.
“Lost both my main accounts today… think I am done with [Call of Duty]…. risk we all took,” wrote another.
Others expressed regret or resigned acceptance: “It’s done for me [I’m] leaving this,” and simply, “Same 🙁.”
Activision spokesperson Neil Wood confirmed that a round of account bans was issued but did not disclose the total number. He clarified that bans were not limited to users of ArtificialAiming but targeted multiple cheat vendors.
“Our latest enforcement efforts disrupted operations from multiple cheat vendors, disabling their tools and issuing bans to their users,” said Wood. “We remain committed to pursuing those who threaten our community — cheaters, cheat makers, and anyone undermining the fair play experience.”
ArtificialAiming, active for over 19 years, has long been a fixture in the cheat development scene. While its tools have evaded detection in the past, recent years have brought increased scrutiny and advances in anti-cheat systems, making it harder for cheats to remain undetected.
A person familiar with the cheating scene said that ArtificialAiming’s tools have become increasingly vulnerable to detection — a sign that the cat-and-mouse game between cheat developers and game publishers is shifting.
In 2021, a staffer from ArtificialAiming reflected on the escalating arms race with game companies, claiming that “cheaters won” as companies were forced to invest millions in combating them. But as kernel-level anti-cheat tools become standard — like Activision’s Ricochet launched in 2021 and Riot Games’ system before it — cheat providers are facing growing challenges.
The stakes in the cheat economy are high. In 2021, Chinese police dismantled what they called the world’s largest cheating ring for PUBG Mobile, with one operator reportedly making at least $77 million. Other cheat makers have similarly claimed massive earnings, while some have faced lawsuits that forced them to pay millions in damages.
This recent wave of bans underscores the ongoing battle in online gaming: cheaters innovate, and publishers retaliate. For now, it appears Activision has landed a significant blow.
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