Key Highlights:
- Call of Duty temporarily disabled underbarrel launchers due to exploit allowing unlimited grenade launcher shots
- Players frustrated by influx of cheaters abusing new glitch in Warzone and Modern Warfare 3
- Developers investigate issue and work on a fix
- Comes after recent server outages and matchmaking problems were resolved within 24 hours
- Cheating remains a constant issue in Call of Duty games despite anti-cheat improvements
Call of Duty Clamps Down on Underbarrel Launcher Exploit Causing Havoc
Popular first-person shooter franchise Call of Duty has taken swift action to address a frustrating exploit that allowed players to fire unlimited grenade launcher shots in both Warzone and Modern Warfare 3.
The development team behind the hit games announced on the 27th of February that they have temporarily disabled all underbarrel launcher attachments while they investigate the exploit and work on a permanent fix. The announcement was made on social site X which you can view below:
This comes just days after videos circulated on social media showing players abusing the glitch to bombard enemies with endless grenade launcher projectiles.
The now-disabled attachments had been wreaking havoc in Warzone and causing significant frustration for players encountering cheaters using the exploit. Videos emerged of players effortlessly wiping out entire squads by spamming semi-automatic grenades, decisively tilting matches in their favour.
Working Quickly to Resolve Exploits
While fans may have preferred to see the issue addressed sooner, the development team’s swift decision to disable the problematic attachments demonstrates their commitment to maintaining fairness and playability.
It also comes right on the heels of Call of Duty recovering from server outages and matchmaking issues that were fully resolved within 24 hours.
Players will be hoping for a similar urgency and tempo in rolling out a more permanent fix for the grenade launcher exploit.
Unlike cheating carried out through third-party hacks and aimbots, the unlimited grenade glitch appears to be an exploit of the game’s own code. As such, the Shoot ’em up recently implemented anti-cheat upgrades likely provide minimal protection against this kind of manipulation.
Ongoing Struggle Against Cheaters
Unfortunately, cheating remains an unavoidable thorn in the side of most popular multiplayer shooters, Call of Duty included. Recent instalments have increasingly strong-armed console players into enabling crossplay with PC users, exposing them to more cheaters running aimbots and other prohibited software.
In an effort to counteract hacking, the developers have rolled out a series of anti-cheat measures in Warzone. Most memorably, the “Splat” function humiliatingly cuts a parachute if cheats are detected, sending offenders plummeting to their demise.
However, cheating continues to be rife despite these deterrents. The grenade launcher exploit is just the latest in a long line of manipulations that undermine fair play. Activision have a really useful help page that players can keep an eye on for when possible updates on the situation are addressed.
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While indefinite bans and anti-cheat systems deter some, cheating will likely persist as an unfortunate thorn in the online Shoot ’em up’s side. But the franchise’s huge player base will be hoping the developers can continue taking swift action to disable and patch loopholes that allow game-breaking exploits.
Maintaining competitive integrity and enjoyment for legitimate players remains paramount. So disabling problematic attachments in the short-term, while not ideal, is preferable to allowing the havoc to continue unchecked.