The inaugural open beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is scheduled to commence on October 2 for players with early access, with a broader rollout for all users on October 5. In response to persistent cheating issues that have plagued the franchise, including challenges faced in last year`s Black Ops 6, Activision has announced substantial upgrades to its anti-cheat systems, which will undergo rigorous testing during this upcoming beta phase.
Activision has confirmed that in-game detection capabilities have been significantly bolstered. This improvement stems from training advanced machine learning systems with millions of hours of diverse gameplay data. Furthermore, the publisher is stepping up its legal efforts to dismantle and disrupt external operations that seek to monetize the creation and distribution of cheats.
Central to Activision’s strategy against cheaters are the mandatory Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 requirements for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on PC. These security measures will be integrated with the latest iteration of the Ricochet anti-cheat software, specifically enhanced to prevent cheaters from bypassing or manipulating its defenses. Activision also emphasized its commitment to real-time detection and removal of cheaters as they are identified in live matches.
While these comprehensive enhancements may not entirely eliminate cheating from the Call of Duty experience, a key objective of this beta period is to thoroughly evaluate these new systems under live operational conditions. The valuable insights and data gathered during this trial will be instrumental in further refining and strengthening the anti-cheat mechanisms ahead of Black Ops 7`s official launch.
The open beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set to conclude on Wednesday, October 8, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. The game`s official release is slated for November 14, making it available across PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S platforms.