While mostCall of Duty: Warzonebans are tied directly to cheating, there has been a growing number of account removals tied to the use of unreleased content. According toCall of Duty: Warzonecontent creator NICKMERCS, though, these bans are the wrong move on the part of Activision.

Call of Duty: Warzone’s leaked content is supposedly tied tothe fabled Season 7ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare, and it includes several weapons that players will be able to make use of. The Sykov Pistol, RAAM LMG, and CX-9 SMG have all leaked in-game, with players finding ways to unlock the guns early and use them in their matches. The Soap Operator has also leaked, with some hackers finding a way to use the character in actual matches of the battle royale game.

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While some players may berunning around as Soap MacTavishor wielding the leaked CX-9 in their matches, though, NICKMERCS does not believe that banning these fans is the right move. In a recent video, the player describes a situation where he picked up a weapon from another player that featured a leaked weapon skin. With thousands of people watching, the reports flew in, and the player using the unreleased cosmetic item was permanently banned fromCall of Duty: Warzone.

NICKMERCS takes issue with this, citing bans of this caliber as going too far. NICKMERCS believes that Activision should continue to focus on “bad” things like cheating inCall of Duty: Warzone, citing wallhacks and aimbots as specific examples of things deserving of permanent bans. NICKMERCS calls bans for using leaked weapons and skins “unwarranted,” adding that the “wrong people are being caught in the crossfire” with some of the more recentCall of Duty: Warzoneban waves. Considering that these ban waves often include 30,000 accounts, it makes sense that a few innocent players are unlucky enough to lose their accounts in the process.

While part of his argument likely comes down to the fact thatNICKMERCS has used the CX-9and does not want any action taken against any of his own accounts, his comments do feel genuine. While it is understandable that Activision does see issues with people using content from its games early, a permanent ban does seem harsh. After all, players finding ways to access unreleased content early does not seem nearly as troublesome as hacking — meaning that punishments of different severities should be carried out.

For now, it remains to be seen if Activision will become more lenient on those that make use ofunreleasedCall of Dutycontent. While NICKMERCS does praise the company for its recent work when it comes to dealing with cheaters, many fans commenting on the video seem to feel that his criticism is valid.

Call of Duty: Warzoneis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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