Activision
Algorithmic Governance in Gaming: Call of Duty's RICOCHET Anti-Cheat System
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, released in October 2024 by American developer Activision, implemented an enhanced version of the RICOCHET Anti-Cheat system designed to rapidly identify and remove cheaters from the gaming ecosystem. This technologically sophisticated system employs kernel-level drivers, machine learning models, and AI analytics to detect suspicious gameplay patterns, promising to eliminate cheaters within their first hour of play—a significant improvement over previous iterations that required approximately five matches during beta testing.
The system represents an evolution in automated governance within digital play spaces, providing algorithmic surveillance and enforcement mechanisms that operate largely outside player visibility or intervention. This deployment reflects the increasing black-boxing of regulatory technologies in online environments.
The RICOCHET system exemplifies the growing tension between technological solutionism and player agency in digital environments. This surveillance apparatus embodies a form of algorithmic governance where automated systems make consequential decisions affecting user participation. While ostensibly ensuring fair play, such systems raise critical questions about transparency, data collection practices, and power asymmetries between platform owners and users. The kernel-level integration represents a deeper computational entanglement with users' systems, transforming gaming from mere entertainment into a site of sophisticated monitoring and behavioral.