Vikkstar quits Warzone over hackers: ‘The game is in the worst state it’s ever been’
Dom Sacco, Senior Editor
Last Updated: 10/05/2021
UPDATE (February 12th): Vikkstar says he’s returned to the game.
I returned to Warzone today. Streamed for 2 hours & didn't run into a single cheater. Love that!
— Vikkstar ★ (@Vikkstar123) February 12, 2021
Good stuff @CallofDuty @RavenSoftware 🙌🏽
Original article (published February 1st 2021): Prominent British YouTuber and one of Call of Duty: Warzone’s biggest content creators, Vikkstar, has quit the game due to hackers ruining the game experience.
The YouTuber, who is also known as Vikkstar123 and has more than 7m subscribers, said Warzone is in ‘the worst state it’s ever been in’.
“It needs to be fixed or it will result in the death of the game,” Vikkstar said in his video below. “It is so painful to play.”
Vikkstar is also a co-owner of the London Royal Ravens and a member of the Sidemen, a group of YouTubers also including KSI, Zerkaa and more.
You can see a view of one hacker Vikkstar went up against – MrSlazy FbGaming – from the 6:50 mark. You can clearly see the hack on display, as the player is able to see the location of every other player in the match:
The hacker said on their Facebook page to Vikkstar: “Sorry to make ya quit lol.”
At the time of publication their Facebook page is still live.
Esports News UK has noticed an increase in hackers playing the game in recent months.
London Royal Ravens MD and Rektglobal chief gaming officer Michael ‘ODEE’ O’Dell has complained about hackers on stream, while others in the community have bemoaned Activision’s lack of action regarding the issue:
Unfortunately without anti-cheat, authentic Warzone tournaments just aren’t possible anymore. We learned a lot from those Gauntlets & I’ve been tellin’ y’all.. There’s too much cheese & way too many rats. Bob & weave baby.
— Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) January 22, 2021
Sad that the biggest content creators and some of the best #Warzone players in the world are walking away because of no anti cheat. Its INSANE to think a year later the studios still havent remotely solved these issues.
— ∞ Strafe #F3F3 (efuse) (@TwitchStrafe_TV) January 26, 2021
Banging stream today thanks for all the love everyday and lots of fun getting to play with everyone today ❤️ But man Warzone needs anti cheat DESPERATELY, even our custom sunday lobbies weren't safe today! Catch ya'll in the morning stream, road to 10,000 followers going strong🤑
— Catkinz (@Catkinz_) January 31, 2021
Activision has recently reposted an in-game message first shared last spring.
It states: “We take all forms of cheating very seriously, maintaining a level and fair playing field for everyone is among our highest priorities. This is an area we have been working on heavily, but it isn’t always something we discuss publicly.
“We employ a number of programs in place to combat both cheaters and cheat providers.
“Our security teams monitor 24/7 to investigate data and identify potential infractions. The teams review all possible cheats and hacks, this includes identifying use of aimbots, wallhacks and more.
“We’re working to improve our in-game system for reporting potential cheating. Plans are underway to streamline the UI for a more seamless reporting experience.”
Activision also stated that there’s been more than 70,000 permanent bans to date.
Vikkstar has since provided an update and says he’s in contact with Activision over the issue:
Thank you all for your support alongside my recent concerns to the current state of cheating in Warzone.
— Vikkstar ★ (@Vikkstar123) February 1, 2021
As an update, I currently have an open line of communication directly with Activision regarding the issue. Fingers crossed for some positive changes.
Dom Sacco, Senior Editor
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He has almost two decades of experience in journalism, and left Esports News UK in June 2025. As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late '80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He also previously worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation.
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