In an ongoing effort to combat cheating in its popular gaming franchises, Activision has announced new requirements for PC players of the forthcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Players will need to enable Windows Secure Boot and utilize a system equipped with Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM 2.0) technology. This initiative will begin testing during Season 5 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone, although the enforcement of these requirements will not be immediate.
Activision’s Anti-Cheat Strategy
According to a blog post from the company, the Ricochet anti-cheat team will not enforce these requirements just yet, leaving players to prepare ahead of the game’s release later this year. “These hardware-level protections are a key part of our anti-cheat efforts, and we’re asking all players to get compliant now,” the post states. Players who have not updated their systems will begin receiving in-game notifications this season, prompting them to comply.
Activision’s decision to implement TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot comes amid a broader industry challenge to curtail cheating in multiplayer games. While these technologies promise enhanced security, they have faced criticism in the past. For instance, players of League of Legends expressed concerns regarding potential technical glitches, performance slowdowns, and privacy implications associated with similar anti-cheat measures.
Activision reassures players that the TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot processes involve two checks: one conducted by Windows at startup and another by Activision’s servers to confirm that no tampering has occurred. “We know privacy is important to everyone, and we want to be clear: this process doesn’t give us access to your personal files or information,” the blog emphasizes. “It only verifies that your system booted cleanly.”
Furthermore, Activision claims that these security measures will not affect in-game performance and will remain inactive during gameplay. While two-factor authentication (2FA) is not yet mandatory, the company encourages players to adopt it, hinting that it may become a requirement in the future. Additionally, players utilizing a free trial of Game Pass on PC will be restricted from accessing multiplayer ranked play.
In a similar vein, Electronic Arts’ upcoming Battlefield 6 will also incorporate Secure Boot as part of its Javelin anti-cheat system. This requirement effectively limits players to Windows, a platform that dominates the PC gaming landscape. However, it may leave Linux and Steam Deck users seeking alternative solutions to participate fully in the gaming experience.
