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Activision’s barebones Call of Duty: Black Ops ports have sold ridiculously well on the PS5, but they’ve been the subject of various legacy hack attacks which have been ruining the experience for everyone.
This weekend, there were reports of hackers targeting unsuspecting players in Black Ops 2, forcing their accounts into unachievable Prestige levels, which caused the game to crash.
As a result, the publisher has now issued an emergency patch to try and stave off the issues.
Writing on its Call of Duty Updates page, a spokesperson said: “We've released backend updates to improve match security as we review accounts with incorrect Prestige levels.”
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It’s noted that “some players may briefly see an account ban notice when they're removed from a match or session so our systems can correctly apply updated account data”. According to the company, this is a “byproduct of legacy systems”.
However, it adds:
“If you're able to reconnect after receiving this notice, your account has been processed successfully and no further action is required. If you're unable to reconnect, your account has been identified for enforcement based on evidence of intentionally obtaining unauthorised Prestige levels or other violations of our Terms of Service, including account manipulation.”
These Black Ops ports have been plagued by all sorts of legacy glitches and hacks ever since they were ported to the PS5, and it looks like Activision is going to be playing wack-a-mole with the offenders for the foreseeable future.
It’s good that the publisher is addressing these issues, especially considering how popular the ports are proving.
I just wonder how long it’s going to have the energy to stay on top of these problems – particularly with no recurring revenue coming in from these games.