French esports organisation Team Vitality has announced its expansion into CrossFire and PUBG esports with the signing of two new rosters.

The signings continue the organisation’s recent expansion into new titles for the 2026 season.

Announced on February 11th, the rosters will represent the organisation in the arena shooter and battle royale title’s biggest tournament circuits. Team Vitality’s CrossFire roster joins the organisation after representing ROC Esports since March 2025.

During the last 12 months, the roster achieved a wealth of success in regional tournaments. In September, it finished second in the CrossFire Stars EUMENA Regional Finals, narrowly losing to Gaimin Gladiators in the Grand Final.

“Big move. New colours. Same hunger. Proud to officially join Team Vitality,” wrote Nohamed ‘Horus‘ Mahrous on social media. “Ready to work, win, and make this chapter unforgettable.”

Team Vitality’s PUBG roster previously represented Nemiga Gaming from November 2025 until the team’s departure. The roster ended the 2025 season with a sixth-place finish at the PUBG Global Championship.

The organisation’s expansion into CrossFire and PUBG coincides with the titles appearing at this year’s Esports World Cup. Taking place from July 6th to August 23rd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, both titles will see teams competing for a share of a $2m (~£1.4m) prize pool.

Team Vitality has already expanded its esports division in 2026 as it cements its place as one of the world’s largest organisations. In January, it unveiled its Age of Empires roster set to compete in Age of Empires II and IV tournaments.

Elsewhere, the organisation signed 16-year-old Tekken player Neia as it continues to grow its presence within the FGC.

With both CrossFire and PUBG circuits continuing to attract notable organisations, Team Vitality’s expansion is a logical next step as it looks to achieve further success across the first-person shooter and battle royale genres.

Tournament organiser BLAST has named Meet Boston as the official destination partner of the upcoming Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) 2026 Boston Major.

The agreement will see Meet Boston’s branding featured throughout the first major of the season, including in-broadcast advertisements, printed backdrops, and sponsored on-site areas.

Meet Boston is a service focusing on private sector marketing, and is an organisation that develops meetings, conventions and tourism events in the city.

It is not the first time the organisation has worked with esports brands and events. In 2025, Meet Boston highlighted on its website the Six Invitational, the crowning event of the Rainbow Six Siege X esports scene.

James Woollard, VP of Destinations and Market Development at BLAST, commented on the deal: “With a proven track record of hosting world-class sporting and entertainment events, partnering with Meet Boston allows us to showcase the city to a global audience while creating lasting value for the local economy and community.”

The RLCS Boston Major is scheduled to run from February 19th to 22nd, 2026, in the Agganis Arena on the Boston University campus. The top 16 teams from the regional Boston Major Opens, including RLCS Kick-Off Weekend winner Karmine Corp, will go head-to-head for the lion’s share of a $354,000 (~£250,570) prize pool.

The RLCS Boston Major is significant as it is the first major of the season, serving as an early indication of the state of the Rocket League competitive scene.

With up to 30 points of RLCS Circuit ranking points awarded to first place, teams that perform well stand a better chance of reaching the crowning event of the circuit, the RLCS World Championship.

“We are thrilled to once again work with BLAST to host the RLCS 2026 Boston Major, which will be the first Major of the new season,” added Meet Boston President and CEO Martha J. Sheridan. “BLAST esports events captivate a global audience, driving worldwide viewership along with critical out-of-state visitation and overnight stays.”

Overwatch Season 1 is the start of a new era for Blizzard’s hero shooter. It heralds in the Reign of Talon narrative, shifting the game into a story-driven direction, finally pitting the universe’s two major factions against each other: Overwatch and Talon. The Overwatch Season 1 battle pass is a reflection of this, too, tied into the season’s central story. Players have clearly got behind the new direction, with Overwatch enjoying a major boost in numbers.

As part of the Overwatch vs Talon drive, both sides have recruited for their causes, resulting in the five new Overwatch Season 1 heroes. There has been both criticism and praise for these new heroes, but adding to the roster in bulk has ultimately proven to be the right move from Blizzard.

Still, not all the new heroes are made equal, so let’s have a look at their kits in detail and rank them based on how strong they are.

As it has only been a day since the Overwatch Season 1 release date, as of writing, there is still plenty to figure out with the new heroes. There are plenty of techs and combinations yet to discover, but we have a rough idea of the kind of impact these heroes will have on the game.

With all the Overwatch Season 1 balance changes, which include a myriad of sub-classes that come with new passives, there is plenty going on that will shift the dynamic of the whole game. All of this will take time to bed in, especially with the new batch of players coming in, so the strength of these heroes is subject to change.

Anran’s design controversy aside, she seems like the weakest character added, which says a lot considering she is capable of racking up mighty damage numbers. She doesn’t seem to have the burst damage of the other new DPS, Emre, but with strong mobility and get-out options, she’ll likely prove more than viable.

She is the face of the Overwatch Season 1 Conquest drive, and with constant burn damage, she can be a big problem for tanks if she is allowed to stack her Ignition passive. She doesn’t seem like someone who is going to confirm many kills, however, and will probably have a hard time stacking ignition on quick, squishy targets. Ironically, she is one of these mobile targets, and taking her down will be tough.

Domina is Overwatch’s second poke tank, joining Sigma. She’s versatile, packing impressive range in her primary fire, especially with her minor perk range buff. Her shields cover a wide area, although at 250 health per segment, it isn’t what Domina is going to be known for. 

Still, she can displace foes with her Sonic Repulsors, and hit hard with her Crystal Charge and Panopticon ult. Most of her health is made up of shields, too, and thanks to the Overwatch Season 1 update, dealing damage will restore those shields. So far, Domina comes across as a balanced option and a great poke tank alternative to Sigma.

Most of Jetpack Cat’s kit isn’t too outstanding on paper. She has great mobility as a flying hero, her Purr is ok as far as a healing ability goes, her damage is fine, and her ultimate will certainly have its uses, but what puts her at third is her Lifeline ability.

Lifeline will likely result in some incredible techs that will be very difficult to counter. Many abilities or heroes that are meant to be immobile will end up with amazing mobility, with Bastion’s Turret Form and D.Va’s self destruct ultimate being two examples. Jetpack Cat can override the weaknesses built into some heroes, such as plopping a Reinhardt behind enemy ranks before an ultimate, and this ability alone, paired with Jetpack Cat’s mobility, could prove to be incredible, especially at lower elo, where aim isn’t as strong.

Mizuki looks like he has gone to the Kiriko school for Overwatch supports because he has it all. He has both a passive and active heal, decent damage with primary fire, strong mobility Katashiro return, and CC with Binding Chain. He’s also a support that DPS players can get behind because he rewards being highly active.

His sub-role as a Survivor gives him healing whenever he uses a mobility ability will keep him in the fight, he can heal himself, and seems like a great option for a team looking to stick close together. While his ultimate, Kekkai Sanctuary, only seems decent, the level of adaptability Mizuki has is astounding, and once you get used to bouncing Healing Kasa, it can be a great tool.

Emre feels like he is here to replace Soldier 76. As mid-ranged hitscan characters go, Emre’s primary fire will cause havoc, and while the rest of his kit isn’t at that level, those who can get headshots at mid-range are going to have a field day with Emre, even if his ultimate, Override Protocol, isn’t all that noteworthy.

The Heat Sink major perk can make Emre’s Siphon Blaster an absolute nightmare for tanks; those who can hit their shots will take out squishy targets with ease with his primary fire, and his grenade is great for laying down some AOE. He’s also faster and can jump higher when using Siphon Blaster, meaning that his kit has AOE, mobility options, and high damage. Much like Mizuki and Soldier 76, versatility alone is going to make Emre a nightmare, but his sheer damage output might prove to be something Blizzard has to look into later down the line.

The Overwatch Season 1 update has at least got people to look into the game again, and these new heroes could be the secret to keeping them playing. Overwatch hasn’t done a batch release of new heroes like this before, so there are bound to be some growing pains. As time goes on, players will find ways to get the most or counter these heroes, allowing them to properly relax into a steady place in tier lists.

All seem to have versatile kits and appear strong, though competitive viability will need to be tested over the coming weeks. Still, with everything that these heroes can do, it seems that one-trick pony heroes will not be in Overwatch’s plans for the remainder of 2026.

Natus Vincere (NAVI) entered LEC Versus 2026 with an almost entirely rookie roster and little expectations after its Summer 2025 debut.

However, the roster has quickly shaken up the standings and became one of the first three teams to secure a spot in the Playoffs, finishing its debut regular season in second place. A key part of that run has been the team’s jungler, Enes ‘Rhilech‘ Uçan. 

In an interview with Esports Insider after NAVI’s win over G2, Rhilech opened up about the mindset that has shaped his journey from ERL champion to one of the LEC’s standout rookies. Rhilech shared insights on NAVI’s underdog mentality, the team’s focus on improvement over results, and the champion picks he hopes to unleash in Fearless Draft — Shaco not included.

Read the full interview below.

Rhilech: It feels amazing. We just beat G2. It was kind of like a stomp game.

It was really amazing to win against G2, especially against SkewMond, because two years ago, when he was in LFL, I never won against him. And coming into LEC, fourth week in my early career, he did Worlds like top eight, beating him here feels really amazing.

Rhilech: It feels really amazing. We are the underdogs, and we are winning. It is a really good feeling.

For other players, I don’t think we are underdogs anymore. We are going to be a top four, top five team in other teams’ eyes from now on. So it’s going to be really amazing to play in the playoffs as well.

Rhilech: Generally speaking, macro gameplay, I think that’s the biggest issue. We are really talented players. We are really good at mechanics. We are kind of on the same page, but our macro is sometimes lacking — especially against Karmine Corp. That was a really hard game to play. They were really good at taking control of the map. They kind of beat us on the map. So we want to improve on micro gameplay.

Rhilech: I think I already bring forward a lot of champions. I have a really good feeling for Fearless, but we will see, because we didn’t scrim in Fearless. It was like four weeks of best-of-one in LEC.

There was no point to scrim Fearless. But from next week, we’ll start scrimming Fearless, and we will see what we can bring. I don’t know yet, the capability, the maximum number of champions that I can bring, but you will see. 

Rhilech: No way.

Rhilech: No, no, no way. There is no chance. No way Shaco is coming and stealing my red level 1 too. Oh my God. I cannot imagine. [laughs]

Rhilech: I saw Hecarim got buffed and also tried him in SoloQ, and I really like him. Actually, when I started playing League, Ekko, Hecarim, and Kayn were my top three champions. I was only playing these three.

I want to maybe bring Hecarim or Kayn to the Fearless Draft in the playoffs. It will be really amazing to win with my own champions in the playoffs against good top teams in the LEC.

Rhilech: My expectations were to be in the top four junglers in the LEC in my first year.

For my second year, I want to become the best. I want to be the best jungler in the league next year, that’s my expectation. So far it’s going good, I think. I feel like I’m among the top four junglers and we will see in next month’s how it goes and then next year.

Rhilech: The only disappointing part was like the spectators. I don’t think there are many spectators for LEC. Maybe it’s just because of regular games, but the stage feels a little bit smaller than I expected.

And there aren’t too many people watching. It’s like 200 people, I think. I was expecting 1,000 or something kind of a bit more, but the rest, I don’t have any disappointments or anything.

Rhilech: After games we have fan meets, and it’s really good to see people communicating with you, seeing their comments on Twitter and everywhere else. It feels really good. The art is really good. People know you, people know you are good, people know you are playing good — that feels amazing.

For the road trip, that’s our team goal right now, to go to Barcelona, and we are working on that, and we will be there.

Rhilech: I have no idea how this works because I didn’t get any bad habits or anything, but the idea is good. To bring this to help players, to help them improve and build discipline.

Rhilech: My approach is ‘not winning to improve’. I don’t want to only win. I want to keep improving. If you keep improving, even just 1% every day, eventually, in the end, you will win. That’s the biggest thing that matters when you’re a pro player. And most of the players don’t understand this, they want to only win, win, win… But winning is not the only thing that matters.

Rhilech: The biggest trigger point was last year in BK ROG Esports when we won the LFL. But everything — scrims — was going really badly, we were shaky in official matches. We were kind of choking, but after one point, I realised, “okay, it doesn’t matter. In the end, we just need to improve. We just need to focus on what’s next.”

With this mentality, together as a team, we approached it like this. It worked out really well; we won the LFL. We went from almost getting eliminated by one game to winning the LFL. It was a really amazing one.

This year, in the LEC team, we are really professional. We all have a mental coach, Zuzanna Hejduk-Mostowy. She’s really helping on this matter as well and everyone is kind of on the same page about improving. We care about winning, but the main goal is to improve, and everyone has this mindset in the team.

Professional players have raised concerns that the upcoming Chess tournament in the 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC) clashes with another prominent series, the Grand Chess Tour.

EWC’s Last Chance Qualifier will take place from August 6th to 8th, and the main event will run from August 11th to 15th. However, the 2026 Grand Chess Tour has scheduled the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz event for August 2nd to 6th and the Sinquefield Cup for August 10th to 20th, 2026.

The Grand Chess Tour is an international series considered by many players to be one of the most prestigious chess circuits, offering $2m (~£1.46m) in prize funds this year. The 2026 tour comprises of several tournaments from May 3rd to August 28th. such as the Super Raid & Blitz Poland and Super Chess Classic Romania.

Players earn Tour Points throughout the circuit to climb the global standings, with the top four players qualifying for the GCT Final at the Saint Louis Chess Club. As a result, the two tournaments held in the middle of EWC are vital for deciding which players will compete to be crowned this year’s champion.

The Chess tournament at EWC has also become one of the biggest events in the Chess esports ecosystem. The competition will feature some of the top players in the scene representing various organisations for a $1.5m (~£1.09m) prize pool.

In light of this, several top Chess players in the competitive scene have signed an open letter calling out the organisers on the schedule clash.

The letter voices the concerns of players Levon Aronian, five-time U.S champion Fabiano Caruana, two-time world champion Alierza Firouzja, four-time Dutch champion Anish Giri, Vincent Keymer, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, and three-time French champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

The post highlights that participation in both competitions is ‘effectively impossible’ due to the short time frame between events.

The statement said: “These are two of the most important tournaments on the calendar. A clash of this scale prevents many of the world’s best layers from participating in both competitions.

“Avoiding direct conflicts between flagship events is a basic principle in other professional sports, and Chess should strive for the same standard.”

Furthermore, the letter alleges that players and teams raised concerns with organisers of the EWC and Chess Grand Tour, though the schedules have since remained unchanged.

It has caused fans to debate online which event should be rescheduled. Some argue that the EWC is unable to change dates due to featuring multiple titles at the event, while others highlight that the Grand Chess Tour’s legacy should be respected as the older event.

If you’re searching for “when is the next Fortnite live event,” it’s probably because you don’t want to miss a one-time moment that permanently changes the island. And why wouldn’t you? Unlike regular updates, they happen in real time and can’t be replayed.

To make sure you don’t miss a second, you’ll find the next Fortnite live event start date and time in this guide, including time zone conversions for every region and tips to secure a spot before servers fill up.

The next Fortnite live event is the OG Ice King event, officially titled “Ice Storm.”

According to Epic’s official Love and Legends roadmap, the Ice Storm live event is scheduled to kick off in Fortnite OG on Sunday, February 15, 2026, from 11:00 AM PT | 2:00 PM ET.

While nothing has been confirmed yet, Epic Games is expected to host another major Fortnite season finale live event when the current season ends on March 19, 2026.

Note: Fortnite live events don’t usually trigger server downtime beforehand. Instead, maintenance is typically scheduled afterward to roll out map changes or a new season. Smaller live events may not involve downtime at all unless Epic announces it in advance.

If you’re not sure what the Fortnite live event start time is in your local time zone, you can refer to the table below.

Note: These times are based on standard time conversions. Local start times may change by 1 hour due to daylight saving time in certain regions.

The OG Ice Storm event is a reimagined version of the original Ice King event from Fortnite Chapter 1, Season 7.

The event centers on the Ice King, a powerful ruler who inhabits the frozen castle at Polar Peak on Athena. In the original storyline, he emerged from a mysterious Ice Sphere that hovered above his fortress before unleashing a massive, island-wide blizzard.

Since Polar Peak’s return in Fortnite Chapter 7, the location has been steadily changing. Melting ice has revealed more of the castle and its depths, while the reappearance of a floating Ice Sphere strongly hints that the Ice Kingdom storyline is building toward a dramatic finish.

To join a Fortnite live event, you simply need to join a match in which the event is currently active. This is because events occur synchronously across all active servers during gameplay.

You will be notified when a live event begins, so you just need to load into the playlist where it’s happening. A dedicated tile will appear in the “Discover” menu. From there, select the mode and join the Fortnite live event.

Since matchmaking servers often reach capacity during major events, it’s worth being prepared beforehand. Here are some tips to ensure you don’t miss out on the fun:

While they don’t happen frequently, live events have played a huge role in shaping the game’s identity and evolving storyline. They typically mark major Fortnite season finales, chapter changes, or pop culture crossovers, making them must-watch for all players.

Here is a complete timeline of every major Fortnite live event to date:

Fortnite live events have evolved from simple in-game spectacles into one of the most effective forms of interactive storytelling in modern gaming.

What makes these events so powerful isn’t just visual scale, either. It’s urgency, shared participation, and permanent impact. By tying narrative progression directly to live gameplay, Epic keeps seasons feeling meaningful and turns each event into more than just another update.

Motorsport UK has unveiled its full sim racing calendar for the 2026 season, featuring a mixture of new and returning events.

The national body for motorsport in the UK will host a total of 12 events from February to December.

Announced on February 11th, the 2026 season begins with the Cross Car Esports Cup, where drivers will compete on iRacing for a chance to earn a real racing opportunity in the Cross Car Championship.

From March to May, Motorsport UK will host the British Sim Racing Cup in addition to the Prototype Challenge, taking place from April to May. From June to July, the Rookie Cup provides a platform for aspiring sim racers to showcase their skills.

The second half of the year contains a wide range of single-seater and sports car events. The British F4 Esports Championship returns for a fifth consecutive year, while fans of endurance racing can compete in the Britcar 24 Hours taking place in September.

Eleven of the 12 events taking place throughout the year use iRacing, a popular platform for high-profile sim racing competitions. In December, Motorsport UK will host an endurance race on Le Mans Ultimate, a title continuing to attract significant growth among drivers.

Sim racing continues to show signs of growth as real-world motorsport series launch virtual competitions featuring some of the world’s best virtual drivers. On February 10th, iRacing and NASCAR launched the 17th eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season with drivers competing for a $500,000 (~£365,443) prize pool.

In addition to Motorsport UK bolstering its sim racing efforts, Motorsport Australia has also continued to support virtual racing. In January, it extended its existing partnership with Next Level Racing to offer sim racers discounts on its product line and support activations taking place at upcoming Formula One races.

PUBG Mobile esports has announced various updates for its 2026 esports season, including the venue for the Global Open (PMGO) and a major shake-up in qualification for the PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC).

Qualifying for the PMGC will now be based on qualification points earned through both seasons of the PMGO and the World Cup (PMWC) only. Moreover, PUBG Mobile has also appointed a new director of esports,

James Yang, a familiar face within the PUBG Mobile esports community, initially announced the roadmap, as he has done each year. However, he announced in this year’s rundown that he has moved on to the game’s publishing division.

Replacing him is Oliver Ye, who has been at Tencent Games for over seven years, most recently serving as its Senior Publishing Director for North America, per his LinkedIn profile. Ye’s official title will be Tencent Games’ Director of PUBG Mobile Global Esports.

“Being one of the biggest fans of PUBG Mobile esports, I’m looking forward to directly leading our vision towards an even more vibrant and inclusive esports community,” Ye said in the roadmap announcement video.

“In 2026, our mission is to bring more players from around the world into PUBG Mobile esports scenes and experience the fun and excitement that we have prepared for you,” he added.

The next major announcement was that the PMGO S1 will take place in Indonesia. A total of 32 teams are set to compete in the Main Event.

Following this, just like last year, the PMWC will return at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Saudi Arabia. It will also feature 32 teams, with invites for China, India, Japan, Korea, KR/JP, and defending champion Yangon Galacticos.

Finally, the PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2026 will take place in Turkey, with 38 teams competing.

The announcement also confirmed a tri-national competition between South Korea, Japan, and India, from where two teams will receive invites to the PMGC League Stage.

This time, the PMGC qualification system has been revamped. Instead of regional leagues directly feeding into the tournament, PMGC points can only be earned through the PMGO and PMWC.

This includes the regional finals and the Main Event for the PMGO. The invited regions will have separate criteria for qualification based on local esports tournaments.

NetEase has revealed everything coming in Marvel Rivals Season 6.5, which officially launches on February 13th, 2026.

According to the latest Dev Vision, upcoming content includes the latest hero, Elsa Bloodstone, balance changes, and new features that will affect both casual and esports scenes.

Elsa Bloodstone, previously revealed in the Season 6 announcement trailer, joins Marvel Rivals roster as a new Duelist.

Her main weapon of choice is a burst fire double-barreled shotgun, and she boasts a unique range of abilities. Elsa Bloodstone can deploy a trap that renders enemies immobile, while staying light on her feet with both a dash and uppercut move.

She has several ranged options, including firing a Living Bullet that ricochets off walls and splits to damage multiple enemies. Furthermore, she can switch to her rifle at any moment, firing a singular bullet that deals increased damage after using a movement skill.

Finally, her ultimate allows her to summon Glartrox, a monster that charges forward and pins enemies caught in its path. Elsa Bloodstone can recall Glartrox, causing the monster to run back to her along with any enemies caught in its jaws.

The latest balance patch notes were also released alongside the Dev Vision for Season 6.5, addressing both the most underwhelming and popular characters in 2026.

For Vanguards, characters Rogue and Venom will be buffed, while Doctor Strange sees a small nerf. Thor’s bonus health from Storm Surge has been reduced from 75 to 50, but his Hammer Throw now grants 50 extra health upon hit.

For Duelists, characters Deadpool, Wolverine, Punisher, Squirrel Girl and Star-Lord are buffed, while Psylocke, Phoenix and Moon Knight are nerfed.

Storm gains a range of buffs. The Weather Control Tornado mode gives her bonus health when using Wind Blade and Bolt Rush. Thunder mode also reduced Bolt Rush cooldown by 0.5 seconds with each Wind Blade hit. Finally, Thunder & Lightning’s ally buffs now decay over two seconds instead of vanishing instantly upon leaving the aura.

Strategists are also being addressed in the mid-season update. Ultron is buffed, while Loki and Invisible Woman are nerfed. Adam Warlock gains the ability to fly for four seconds at full energy, and Soul Bond now allows him to attack during the skill’s duration.

With every seasonal update, a new rotation of Team-Up abilities have been announced. This includes retiring old ones while introducing new and altered abilities.

Here is a breakdown of all the Team-Up changes coming in Season 6.5:

Marvel Rivals Season 6.5 will arrive with a variety of in-game features that will benefit both casual and competitive players.

Times Square, the in-game social hub, will hold a wedding care parade on February 14th, and a Spring Festival performance on a later date, both of which will allow players to earn in-game Units.

An in-game tournament will also be held through the Monster Kingdom Championship, and will function similarly to the PlayStation Cups. Running from February 21st to 22nd, players can compete in either the duos or squads divisions for in-game rewards such as Units, Unstable Molecules, and nameplates.

Five rounds of matches will be played, where teams will strive to secure as many wins as possible. Reaching three wins or three losses will immediately conclude a team’s run, with teams receiving rewards based on their performance. Developers also shared that there will be no rank or platform restrictions.

Marvel Rivals Season 6.5 brings a variety of major changes, from Elsa Bloodstone’s debut to the introduction of new Team-Ups, that will impact casual and competitive play.

Only time will really tell whether Elsa Bloodstone can overthrow popular Duelists that dominated Season 6, such as Phoenix, Hawkeye, Hela and Psylocke. It also remains to be seen whether she will be a popular choice for professional players when the Marvel Rivals Ignite 2026 circuit kicks off.

Dr Strange was a popular Vanguard in Season 6, as revealed in the Hero Hot List where he was the third most popular character on PC Competitive. With his new Team-Up with Invisible Woman, one of the best Strategists in the game as of writing, the two characters may dominate further in Season 6.5.

Call of Duty‘s anti-cheat team has shared an update on its efforts to combat a recent spike in cheating across Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty: Warzone‘s Ranked Play modes.

Ricochet Anti-Cheat reveals that it is seeing higher levels of cheating in the battle royale, negatively impacting Ranked Play matches in the highest skill brackets.

In an update published on February 11th, Ricochet Anti-Cheat claims the introduction of cloud-based attestation technology has resulted in significant improvements to Black Ops 7 Ranked Play matchmaking. As a result of the new measures, ‘nearly 99% of matches’ don’t feature cheaters.

Ricochet says that higher levels of hacking in Warzone Ranked Play are a result of a lack of cloud-based attestation that hasn’t arrived in the battle royale title.

“We’re seeing higher cheating pressure in Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play compared to multiplayer ranked, where Microsoft attestation is not yet fully enabled,” wrote Ricochet Anti-Cheat.

“Closing the gap is a top priority, and we’re actively working to enable these defences in Warzone Ranked Play shortly.”

Activision continues to clamp down on cheaters bypassing its existing systems with the arrival of several new measures for the Black Ops 7 cycle. In addition to cloud-based attestation, Ricochet is cracking down on the use of unapproved third-party devices that give players unfair advantages.

Alongside wider anti-cheat measures, Ricochet also shared an update on limited matchmaking measures designed to isolate accounts displaying signs of unfair play in Black Ops 7 and Warzone.

In recent weeks, legitimate players have received temporary bans, leaving some unable to compete in qualifiers for the first Warzone Resurgence Series event taking place at DreamHack Birmingham.

“During early Season 2 tuning, a limited number of legitimate players were inadvertently impacted,” added Ricochet. “We’ve made targeted adjustments and are continuing to work to prevent repeat cases. Reports tied to limited matchmaking have dropped significantly, and we’ll keep monitoring closely.”