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Watering Amounts of Money Behind Video Game Cheats

IGN • September 18, 2026 • technology

Key Points:

Activision has revealed that the video game cheating market is a multi-billion-dollar industry, with cheat subscriptions in 15 games generating about $3.5 billion annually, and the broader cheating economy, including account sales and spoofing, reaching approximately $8.5 billion each year.
The company’s Team Ricochet has taken significant legal and technical measures against cheat vendors, disrupting over 375 reseller operations, issuing more than 80 cease-and-desist orders, and shutting down 31 primary cheat providers.
Despite these efforts, cheating remains prevalent in Call of Duty, with some players spending over $1,000 annually on cheats, subscription services, spoofing tools, and hardware to maintain access.
Activision acknowledges that completely eradicating cheating is unlikely but aims to reduce its impact in the upcoming release of Modern Warfare 4, launching on October 22.
Recent statements from Call of Duty’s Senior Director of Game Security emphasize ongoing efforts to combat cheating and clarify misconceptions about the problem ahead of the new game’s release.

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