Activision’s dedicated anti‑cheat team, known as Team Ricochet, recently released figures that place the global cheating economy at roughly $8.5 billion. The numbers stem from a broader analysis by threat‑intelligence firm Intorqa, which earlier this year estimated that developers of cheat software generate about $3.5 billion each year from a sample of fifteen popular titles. When ancillary services—such as IP spoofing, account laundering and hardware‑based cheating tools—are added into the mix, the total swells to the $8.5 billion figure cited by Activision. In a recent blog entry, Activision highlighted the tangible impact of Team Ricochet’s work: more than 375 cheat‑selling operations have been disrupted, over 80 cease‑and‑desist letters have been dispatched, and 31 major cheat vendors have been forced offline.
The team also reported issuing in excess of 70,000 new hardware bans in the past month alone, underscoring the scale of the enforcement effort required to keep the competitive environment fair. The data also caught the attention of Anybrain, a provider of anti‑cheat technology, which referenced Intorqa’s findings in its whitepaper titled “The Rise of Cheating‑as‑a‑Service.” In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Anybrain co‑founder and CEO André Pimenta Ribeiro explained that malicious actors have turned the act of cheating into a lucrative commercial venture, often referred to as Cheating‑as‑a‑Service (CaaS). Ribeiro noted, “Over the past three decades, cheating has transformed into a sophisticated and constantly evolving industry. Modern methods frequently use generative AI, real‑time problem‑solving tools, hidden hardware, and digital identity spoofing to bypass security systems.” He went on to describe how this rapid evolution gives cheat developers a decisive edge: they can instantly modify their tools to evade detection, putting pressure on anti‑cheat solutions that struggle to keep pace.
“No single tool can solve this anymore, which is why the studios seeing the best results are the ones treating security as part of their tech stack, not a silver bullet,” Ribeiro asserted. To gauge industry sentiment, Anybrain commissioned a survey of 250 developers from the United States and the United Kingdom who have released online competitive multiplayer games. Conducted by Atomik Research, the survey revealed that 69 % of studios view cheating as a “significant or very significant problem.” More than half of the respondents reported observable drops in player retention or direct revenue loss attributable to cheating activity. Ribeiro emphasized the business impact, stating, “If cheating becomes too excessive, it can significantly hurt player loyalty and the title’s lifetime value (LTV), causing players to abandon the game for one with a better reputation.” The data showed that 76 % of surveyed studios have already deployed anti‑cheat measures, with the majority employing a combination of solutions.
This multi‑layered approach suggests that a comprehensive security tech‑stack is becoming the preferred strategy for combating cheating in modern games. Conversely, 24 % of respondents have yet to adopt any anti‑cheat technology.
The leading reason, cited by a quarter of this group, is the perception that “no anti‑cheat that works yet” is available. Additional concerns include potential negative community feedback and the belief that cheating is not a pressing issue, which accounted for 22 % of the reasons given. Among developers who have tried anti‑cheat tools, 69 % said they have never implemented such systems before, while 31 % reported having removed previously installed anti‑cheat solutions. The removals were typically driven by performance degradation, interference with core game design, or insufficient efficacy.
A striking 93 % of the studios surveyed indicated that they have established a dedicated anti‑cheat team within their organization, mirroring Activision’s Team Ricochet model. Looking ahead, 88 % of respondents plan to increase their anti‑cheat budgets over the next twelve months.
Of those currently in the process of rolling out new anti‑cheat capabilities, 47 % confirmed that a specific budget allocation had already been secured, highlighting the growing recognition of cheating as a critical financial and reputational risk. Overall, the combined findings from Activision, Intorqa, and Anybrain paint a picture of an industry grappling with a rapidly professionalizing underground market. Cheaters are leveraging cutting‑edge technologies—such as generative AI for real‑time aim assistance and sophisticated hardware implants—to stay one step ahead of detection mechanisms.
In response, game publishers are shifting from ad‑hoc, single‑tool fixes to integrated security architectures that treat anti‑cheat as an essential component of the broader development pipeline. The stakes are high: unchecked cheating can erode player trust, diminish engagement, and ultimately cut into a game’s long‑term profitability.
As the financial size of the cheating ecosystem continues to expand, studios that invest in robust, layered anti‑cheat solutions and maintain dedicated security teams are likely to safeguard both their player bases and their bottom lines more effectively than those that rely on piecemeal or reactive measures.