Category: Video Games

A high-profile video game cheat maker has been ordered to pay Activision over $14 million in damages and hand over its domain name.

The United States District Court of the Central District of California granted Activision’s motion for default judgement in the civil case against EngineOwning, which sells cheats for a number of Call of Duty games as well as Counter-Strike, Battlefield, and Titanfall. Activision is awarded $14,465,600 in statutory damages and $292,912 in attorneys’ fees, and the court issued a permanent injunction to enjoin EngineOwning’s “unlawful conduct” and to transfer its domain name, www.EngineOwning.to, to Activision.

Activision successfully argued that EngineOwning continued to circumvent its security systems and sell the cheating software in violation of the The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). It called for the minimum statutory damages of $200 under the DMCA multiplied by the general approximation of the number of downloads of the cheating software in the United States (72,328), for a total of $14,465,600. The Court found the request “reasonable” under the circumstances.

In February 2023, a judge ruled that EngineOwning must pay Activision $3 million in damages after a lawsuit in which Activision claimed high-profile streamers used Warzone cheats. But EngineOwning continued its operation, selling cheats for 2023’s Call of Duty game Modern Warfare 3 as well as Warzone. Activision then continued its long-running battle with the cheat maker, resulting in this ruling.

There are now questions about whether Activision will see any of the money it is owed by EngineOwning, or its ability to claim ownership of the website. At the time of this article’s publication, cheats and HWID spoofers remain available to buy from EngineOwning, which seemingly operates outside the U.S.

Of course, competitive multiplayer video games have endured a cheating problem for decades, and Call of Duty in particular is seen as having a cheating and hacking problem, most prominently on the free-to-download battle royale Warzone on PC. Activision and other video game publishers face an uphill battle in the war against cheat makers, but the Call of Duty company will be hoping rulings such as these act as a meaningful deterrent as it prepares to release Black Ops 6 later this year.

Overnight, Activision tweeted to say that all accounts found to have participated in any form of boosting behavior in Multiplayer or Warzone Ranked Play would have their SR reset and be removed from the Leaderboard ahead of the Season 4 launch. Activision continued: “Additionally, as previously announced, accounts that boosted their progression in Ranked Play will be permanently restricted from accessing Ranked Play modes in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

League of Legends fans are having a hard time wrapping their heads around a new bundle that costs roughly $450.

The content is themed after prolific League of Legends player Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok and arrives alongside news that he has been inducted into Riot’s hall of fame, the Hall of Legends. In a post on its website, the studio explains that it worked with the eSports legend to create an event pass celebrating his legacy. Festivities include three new Ahri Collections with prices that are turning heads.

Each bundle is more expensive than the last, beginning with the Risen Legend Collection at 5430 RP or around $40. It includes the Hall of Legends Pass, a Takedown Counter Taunt, an icon, an emote, a banner, and Ahri with a unique, orange and white skin. Next up is the substantially more expensive Immortalized Legend Collection, which costs 32430 RP or around $250, and packs in the Risen Collection along with a selection of exclusive skin transformations, finishers, the Immortalized Ahri skin, and more.

Finally, at 59260 RP, or around $450, there’s the Signature Immortalized Legend Collection that includes the Immortalized Collection as well as a “Final Boss Faker” title, a Faker-themed signature move and structure finisher, an exclusive border, banner, 100 pass levels, and more. It’s a lot of content with a uniquely high price tag, so it was no surprise to see players commenting on the pricing upon its reveal.

“It’s crazy that Faker, known for his generosity and taking less salary over the years so he could stay in Korea, is going to be associated with these crazy packages where the base skin isn’t able to transform,” one Reddit user said. “I looked at the 2 whales packages and pretty much expected like a physical Ahri statue to be included in them, but they were just a couple of finishers and signature emotes. Absolute bonkers.”

“The way I thought 59k rp was a typo lmfaooo,” another Reddit user said.

i think for this price i better be coached by faker himself https://t.co/ym0kHvpQNj pic.twitter.com/QqzPajfsm2

— swifts (@swiftsporo) May 28, 2024

Reminder that Faker doesn’t use skins and Riot just made the Faker Ahri skin cost $500

— ioki (@i0ki_LoL) May 28, 2024

Riot provided a statement regarding how it chose pricing information for the new bundles in an FAQ on its website:

Whether you’re a new fan, a long-term diehard, or just want to join the celebration, we thought it essential for there to be something for you—and for everyone—as we celebrate our first Hall of Legends inductee.

For the more casual fan, we have some of our most generous bundles to date. The Hall of Legends Pass includes multiple skins (including Risen Legend LeBlanc), emotes, and more, while the Risen Legend Collection adds the new Risen Legend Ahri skin for collectors to enjoy. For those looking to flex their fandom, the Immortalized Legend Collection and Signature Immortalized Legend Collection include spectacular additions, headlined by the evolving Immortalized Legend Ahri skin. While more expensive, these versions are meant to be highly commemorative, with never-before-implemented features that we can’t wait to see hit the Rift.

The Collections arrive as part of the League of Legends Hall of Legends event. It runs from June 12 to July 8, and it’s unclear if the Collections will be made available again in the future. Additional Hall of Legends events are planned to commorate other star players in the community annually.

For more on League of Legends, you can read about the anti-cheat software that Riot assures is not bricking PCs. You can also read our 9.2/10 review, where we said, “League of Legends is an amazing and intense MOBA with great depth, tons of character, and a huge community.”

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.