For one reason or another, online shooters just seem to attract some of the worst kinds of online behaviors, and while cheating isn’t the highest portion of that broad and awful spectrum, it is still pretty bad, especially if it becomes prevalent. That’s the argument that Activision has leveraged in a lawsuit, which accuses the makers of a widely used hacking program for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 of having made multiplayer so toxic that PC players are leaving the game.
The suit names Ryan Rothholz and his alleged accomplices Collin Gyetvai and Jordan Newcombe Boothey of creating and distributing the hacking programs Lergware and GameHook, which lets players use hacks such as aimbotting and cheats that let players see opponents through walls. The suit provides an alleged timeline of activity between Activision and Rothholz, claiming that Lergware first came out around 2022 and then was updated in 2023 to work for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone, reportedly ignoring or avoiding cease-and-desist orders all along the way.
Activision claims in its filing that it continued to attempt to engage with Rothholz and his group as late as March of this year, but time and again the threesome allegedly ignored any legal outreach, which the company says has led to the suit.
Activision argues that hacking programs like GameHook not only damages the game’s community but also hurts the company’s bottom line.
“GameHook has been so frustrating to COD players that it received significant attention on social media and, on information and belief, has caused players to stop playing or avoid the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. If players perceive that a game is unfair or that the multiplayer experience is not working properly, [they] may grow frustrated with the COD games, become less interested in playing and supporting them (including by purchasing new games and items) and may even stop playing entirely.”
The company seeks monetary damages, injunctive relief, and punitive damages that could amount to millions of dollars if Activision gets its way.
