Call of Duty players are reporting a massive wave of bans bessotting players. Some players are claiming the bans were unfounded and sough to point out how unnecessarily obtuse Activision is.
One complainant, tcsdaniels, explains that he and his son share an account, and believe what got them the bans were hacked lobbies. They either automatically enter these lobbies, or back out of them as soon as they found out. They also found that they were consistently low scoring when they entered said lobbies, which may have been interpreted as a sign they were involved in cheating or collusion.
Another player, wuzzup, explains that he believes he did not violate any provisions in the Call of Duty Ghosts Online Code of Conduct, which Activision unveiled last month, and yet he was permabanned. Activision actually replied here, pointing out that all permabans were made after accounts go through investigation. They continue that they do not reverse these bans, nor do they provide rationale as a matter of policy.
Still, Activision appears to be listening and reversing some permabans, as player themidnightsociety was done for him. While the provisions deciding what deserves a ban or not seems reasonable, it is problematic for the company to not disclose the reasons for bans.
We want to believe Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch are looking out for player’s best interests with these bans, but it would be easier to believe if they changed policies and were more open about these bans. It would also help if they added a dispute process, but based on their actions, Activision seems uninterested.
There’s a petition going now for Activision to be more transparent about their bans. If you are so inclined, you can read it and sign here.