Call Of Duty cheat makers to pay $3 million in damages to Activision

A judge has ruled that the creators of the Call of Duty cheat service EngineOwning must pay $3 million in damages to Activision. The service allows users to bypass Activision’s anti-cheat mechanisms.

Last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II was a major success for Activision. It ended up being the most successful CoD launch of all time. Already fans are theorising about what 2023’s CoD release could entail. It was originally rumoured that Activision would be skipping a year for the first time since 2004, releasing a Modern Warfare II expansion instead. Now it’s looking like Treyarch’s untitled project may be back on the menu. Either way, players won’t be going to EngineOwning for assistance anymore.

Take a look at Modern Warfare II in action below.

As reported by Dexerto, Activision launched the lawsuit against two EngineOwning creators last year, noting that the service was used by several “high profile” streamers. In January 2022, Activision sought “millions of dollars” in damages and that battle is finally coming to a close. A judge has now ruled that EngineOwning owes Activision $3 million after they reportedly sold cheats for Warzone and several mainline CoD titles.

EngineOwning’s cheat codes also targeted the Battlefield franchise, Halo: Infinite, and Overwatch 2. The judge ordered that the two creators behind EngineOwning immediately cease supporting and developing the software which the judge ruled is used to “exploit or enable members of the public to cheat, manipulate, [or] gain unfair advantages.”

Call of Duty is currently a hot topic of debate between Microsoft and Sony. As I’m sure you’re aware, Microsoft is in the midst of trying to acquire Activision. The concern is that CoD could eventually become an Xbox-exclusive but it’s reported that they’ve offered PlayStation at least another 10 years of access.