Call of Duty’s Voice Chat Policy Strikes Balance Between Freedom and Moderation

Activision has taken a stance on the ongoing debate surrounding voice chat moderation in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone. The publisher acknowledges the importance of maintaining the game’s social dynamics while addressing concerns about the current moderation system implemented in 2023.

The gaming giant emphasized that players should retain their ability to engage in competitive banter, a tradition that has been part of the Call of Duty experience since the Modern Warfare 2 era. This statement comes amid growing player feedback that the current moderation system might be overly restrictive.

The voice moderation system, first introduced in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, was designed to reduce instances of hate speech and harassment in voice communications. Activision’s development teams are now working to fine-tune the system, aiming to distinguish between acceptable competitive dialogue and genuinely harmful content.

Meanwhile, Season 2 of Black Ops 6 and Warzone, scheduled for January 28, faces its own challenges. The games have experienced a significant 50% decline in Steam player count, largely attributed to ongoing issues with hackers in Ranked Play. In response, Activision has announced a reduced content rollout for the upcoming season, prioritizing bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements over new features.

The company plans to release a comprehensive progress report later this year, detailing the effectiveness of both voice and text chat moderation systems. This report will help provide transparency about the moderation process and its impact on player communications.