Activision is suing Germany-based EngineOwning for advertising and selling cheats to Call of Duty games.
“By this lawsuit, Activision seeks to put a stop to unlawful conduct by an organization that is distributing and selling for profit numerous malicious software products designed to enable members of the public to gain unfair competitive advantages (i.e., to cheat) in the COD Games,” Activision said. “These ongoing activities damage Activision’s games, its overall business, and the experience of the COD player community.”
They also seek to shut down software that can bypass certain bans. EngineOwning offers on a subscription to this software ranging from $5 for three days to $45 every 90 days.
“The Cheating Software enables players to manipulate the COD Games to their personal advantage, such as by automatically aiming weapons, revealing the locations of opponents, and allowing the player to see information that is not normally available to players because it would give them an unfair advantage within the game,” the lawsuit said.
The software also allows subscribers to see through walls and fire quicker shots. The software is also designed to hide the advantages.
This lawsuit comes after Activision began making moves to cut down on cheat makers in 2020. They created the Ricochet anti-cheat system, and reported banning 48,000 cheater accounts last year.
Activision says that Engine Owning knows that what they’re doing is unlawful, but have refused to stop.
Activision is currently being sued by the state of California after internal allegations of a toxic work environment, due to sexual harassment with inadequate discipline and gender-based discrimination resulting in a pay gap.