Prolific Call of Duty Cheat Developer Insists It's Shutting Down — but Players Are Skeptical

The popular Call of Duty cheat provider, Phantom Overlay, has announced its imminent shutdown. In a Telegram statement, the provider offered no specific reason for the immediate closure, stating only that it's not an exit scam and that no external forces pressured the decision. They committed to keeping services online for an additional 32 days to ensure those with 30-day keys receive their full value and to offer partial refunds for lifetime keys.

This closure carries significant implications beyond Phantom Overlay itself. Many other cheat providers rely on its systems, suggesting a potential ripple effect across the cheating ecosystem.

The news sparked varied reactions online. Some gamers expressed disbelief on X (formerly Twitter), speculating about the impact on upcoming cheat updates. Others remained skeptical, suggesting a possible rebranding or continued operation under different names.

Activision recently acknowledged shortcomings in its Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 anti-cheat measures ("Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 anti-cheat efforts 'did not hit the mark' at the Launch of Season 1"), particularly impacting Ranked Play despite earlier promises of swift action against cheaters. While acknowledging initial failures, Activision assures players that improved Ricochet Anti-Cheat systems are now resulting in frequent bans, alongside the recent removal of over 19,000 accounts.

The persistent issue of cheating continues to draw criticism, impacting competitive multiplayer. The severity of the problem led Activision to allow console Ranked players to disable crossplay with PC players in Season 2. Although not exclusive to Call of Duty, cheating has intensified since the 2020 launch of the free-to-play Warzone battle royale mode. Despite significant investment in anti-cheat technology and legal action against cheat developers (with several recent high-profile successes), skepticism towards the Ricochet system remains.

Separately, further details regarding the return of the popular Call of Duty Warzone Verdansk map are expected on March 10th.