Phantom Overlay, a well-known Call of Duty cheat provider, has announced its immediate shutdown. In a statement shared via Telegram, the company emphasized that this decision was not an exit scam, assuring customers that their systems would remain updated, safe, and online for an additional 32 days. This extension aims to allow users with 30-day keys to fully utilize their purchased time, while those with lifetime keys will receive partial refunds.
The closure of Phantom Overlay could significantly impact the broader cheating ecosystem, as many other cheat providers rely on its systems. The gaming community has reacted with a mix of surprise and skepticism. One player on X, formerly known as Twitter, expressed disbelief and questioned if this would affect the Season 3 cheat update's effectiveness. Meanwhile, others suspect that Phantom Overlay might be rebranding, suggesting that cheating in Call of Duty will persist despite the shutdown.
AnswerSee ResultsActivision recently acknowledged that its anti-cheat measures in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 fell short at the launch of Season 1, especially in Ranked Play. Initially, the company had promised to remove cheaters from games within an hour of their first match. Despite these early struggles, Activision now claims to be more effective, routinely banning cheaters and having recently removed over 19,000 accounts thanks to enhanced "velocity" from the Ricochet Anti-Cheat systems.
The widespread issue of cheating in Call of Duty has been criticized for undermining the integrity of competitive multiplayer. In response, Activision introduced a feature with Season 2 that allows console Ranked players to disable crossplay with PC players, aiming to curb cheating. Despite investing heavily in anti-cheat technology and achieving some legal victories against cheat providers, the community remains wary of the Ricochet system's capabilities.
In other Call of Duty news, anticipation builds as more details about the return of the beloved Verdansk map in Call of Duty Warzone are expected to be revealed on March 10.
