Call of Duty is facing significant challenges, extending beyond simply declining player counts (as evidenced by SteamDB data). Ahead of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's second season launch, developers announced updates to their anti-cheat efforts. Since the November 2024 introduction of ranked mode, over 136,000 accounts have been suspended, with ongoing anti-cheat improvements planned.

Further updates include server configuration enhancements, aiming to improve connection quality.

However, this positive news is met with skepticism. Prominent content creators are publicly questioning the developers' claims, and Reddit threads express widespread player dissatisfaction with perceived lack of improvement in server quality and matchmaking.

Player frustration with Call of Duty is mounting, with terms like SBMM (Skill-Based Matchmaking) and EOMM (Engagement Optimized Matchmaking) becoming common criticisms. This erosion of trust is significant, and Activision's ability to address these issues remains uncertain.