Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, a Dallas Empire pro and Call of Duty legend, shared his concerns about the future of the competitive scene after the Cold War Black Ops. He highlights the move to the PC and the lack of Theater mode as possible problems.
The CDL’s offseason, as fans got used to, sparked a series of changes before the second season started in 2021. Major changes in the organization saw Chicago Huntsmen replaced by OpTic Chicago, back in the hands of H3CZ and Nadeshot’s 100 Thieves now has the LA franchise. However, one of the biggest changes is the platform on which competitive matches are now played.
In previous seasons, all players competed on a PlayStation 4. That will change next season, with players now allowed to compete on the PC using the controls. This allows for better graphics quality, higher frame rates and smoother games, but it also comes with major drawbacks – the most notable of which is cheating.
The ability to cheat left the top level of competitive CoD unchanged, but the CDL Challengers had major problems with several tournament results being examined amid allegations of cheating.
Challengers is almost acting as the second level of the competitive Call of Duty, with players competing to impress the CDL teams and secure their passage.
On January 10, Dallas Empire veteran Crimsix gave his opinion, explaining that it is a major concern for the advancement of the competitive Call of Duty. “If Activision does not invest the money in creating an anti-cheat for Call of Duty, and as the next COD is not made by Treyarch (which means that Theater mode is highly unlikely) … Any competitive COD at the level Pro League will be dead after the launch of the new game. “
Many players – casual and competitive – have turned to Activision to improve their anti-cheat systems. Not only did CDL Challengers have problems with cheating, but Warzone’s main problems with hackers are well documented.
In Black Ops Cold War, the presence of Theater mode allows players to review gameplay and identify cheaters. However, CoD titles not developed by Treyarch tend not to include this mode, and Crim is clearly concerned that this will allow cheaters to get away with their behavior.
If Activision doesn’t invest the money in creating an anti-cheat for Call of Duty, and since the next COD is not made by Treyarch (which means that Theater mode is highly unlikely) …….
Any Competitive COD below the Pro League level will be dead after the launch of the new game.
– Empire C6 (@Crimsix) January 10, 2021
Similar calls were made by the two-time world champion ACHES, who also criticized Activision for its failure to implement a robust anti-cheat system.
Idk who is cheating or not. But it is incomprehensible to me that in a sport in 2021 with so much money invested THAT IS EVEN POSSIBLE FOR CHEAT. Where’s a decent anti cheat ?!
– PATTYP (@ACHES) January 10, 2021
When asked what motivated the move from console games to PC, Crim explained that he believes Activision was able to make more money from the switch.
“They did this to get around the percentage cut that MS / Sony gets from microtransactions / DLC / etc,” he said. “Activision also does not have to pay MS / Sony for hosting rights to CDL on one platform. Financially, it’s an incredible move for them. Rumors are that the cut of the platform was 33-50%. “
While the move may have made financial sense for Activision, it is currently inhibiting fair play at many levels of competitive CoD. In the meantime, calls for Activision to resolve CoD snowball cheating problems will continue to grow.