Infinity Ward Pledges Better Action Against Racist Behaviour in Call of Duty
Following Activision’s recent decision to postpone the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 4, in solidarity with the ongoing protests against racial injustice, Infinity Ward has released a statement pledging to take stronger action against racist behaviour in Call of Duty. This statement lays out a series of planned measures which Infinity Ward aim to implement in the near future. These range from better Call of Duty reporting systems to more use of permanent bans.
Infinity Ward’s Pledge and Planned Actions
“There is no place for racist content in our game,” reads Infinity Ward’s statement, which was released yesterday on social media; “This is an effort we began with launch and we need to do a better job. We’re issuing thousands of daily bans of racist and hate-oriented names. But we know we have to do more – and we are.”
In recent months, Infinity Ward has been improving their ban mechanics in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and also drawing more attention to the progress they have been making. Two months ago, for example, the studio announced that they had issued over 70,000 bans in Call of Duty: Warzone; all in just a single week after the game’s launch. However, it’s worth noting that these bans include both bans for community guideline violations and hacking. Apparently, Infinity Ward feels that they aren’t doing enough to combat the former.
Their new statement lays out five areas for improvement which Infinity Ward plans to implement. These include the addition of greater resources to; “monitor and ID racist content,” as well as more Call of Duty reporting systems so that more bans can be issued per hour. The studio also plans to add extra filters and more restrictions on players changing their names. When it comes to reporting, the studio wants to make it easier for players to report offences, as well as increase the number of permanent bans issued in order to stop repeat offenders. Hopefully, these changes go into effect sooner rather than later.