Cheat Developer Claims Shutdown Amid Player Skepticism

Call of Duty cheat provider Phantom Overlay has announced its imminent shutdown.

The company posted a cryptic Telegram statement explaining its abrupt closure while denying any fraudulent intentions: "This isn't an exit scam, and no external force could pressure me into deceiving customers." The platform will remain operational for 32 additional days to honor active subscriptions.

Phantom Overlay confirmed partial refunds for lifetime subscriptions while ensuring 30-day users receive full service. Notably, numerous third-party cheat services rely on Phantom's infrastructure, potentially creating ripple effects throughout the cheating marketplace.

"Is Season 3's anti-cheat finally working?!" speculated one Twitter user after the news broke (via Dexerto). Skeptical responses countered these claims, with one commenter asserting: "This is just rebranding - they operate multiple cheat services under different names."

Recently, Activision acknowledged shortcomings in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's anti-cheat effectiveness during Season 1 launch, particularly in Ranked Play. While failing to meet their ambitious "one-hour ban" pledge, the company reports improved detection systems have since banned over 19,000 accounts.

The cheating epidemic has significantly impacted competitive integrity, prompting Activision's controversial Season 2 decision allowing console players to disable PC crossplay. Since Warzone's 2020 free-to-play launch, cheating has become increasingly problematic despite Activision's substantial anti-cheat investments and successful legal actions against cheat developers.

Related developments suggest Activision may reveal details about Warzone's fan-favorite Verdansk map returning on March 10.