For years, players have wondered if they’ve been ‘shadowbanned’ on Call of Duty for one reason or another. It might be because they’re ‘too good’ or have been reported ‘too many times’ because they’re too good. In most cases, it’s because suspicious activity has been detected, but let’s not ruin that visage.
Whatever the reason, being shadowbanned is a legitimate thing in the world of Call of Duty, and thanks to a recent update, the game will now let you know when you’re shadowbanned and chucked in that unsavory bucket.
In-Game Limited Matchmaking Notifications
In a recent blog post, the Call of Duty squad took a deep dive into Team Ricochet’s latest updates, divulging everything there is to know about the new anti-cheat amendments coming to the ecosystem ahead of Black Ops 7.
One thing that caught everyone’s eye was the ‘In-Game Limited Matchmaking Notifications’ segment. This talked about letting players know when they’re shadowbanned, effectively:
(We’ve) noted that Limited Matchmaking (LMM) is a critical part of our anti-cheat system. It is designed as an immediate response to suspicious activity. When triggered, it moves accounts into a separate matchmaking pool.
LMM can impact an entire party of players if one member of the team is flagged. In-game, however, it’s difficult to determine what your account status is. That leads some players to assume that they are in Limited Matchmaking when they are simply brought into the pool based on their party.
In Season 05 Reloaded, players will receive an in-game notification when their account is placed in the Limited Matchmaking pool. We will also notify users of an entire party when their experience may be impacted based on the party they have joined.
It was then noted that 75% of the Limited Matchmaking pool is represented by players who have been introduced to that system by their party members. That means that your friends could be causing you to be shadowbanned in Call of Duty!
Following that, a brief disclaimer was added:
As a reminder, being placed in Limited Matchmaking doesn’t signal that an account is a confirmed cheater. It means an alarm was raised that requires examination.
Team Ricochet highlighted that, through August, a whopping 55,000 cheaters were ‘disrupted’ by COD’s anti-cheat mechanics. That’s likely a drop in the ocean if recent years are anything to go by.
Have you received a shadowban notification yet? Let me know on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has a major update today
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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