Modern Warfare 3 Launch Sees Significant Reduction in Repeat Offenders and Toxicity Exposure
In an effort to combat toxicity within its gaming community, Activision introduced a robust anti-toxicity voice moderation program with the launch of Modern Warfare 3. The program, which initially rolled out in North America with English support, has now expanded globally (excluding Asia) and includes moderation in Spanish and Portuguese. The company reports that the program has successfully taken action against over 2 million accounts for engaging in disruptive voice chat.
Program Expansion and Multilingual Support
The voice moderation program has extended its reach beyond North America, covering regions worldwide. Additionally, it has incorporated support for Spanish and Portuguese moderation, ensuring a more inclusive approach to combating toxic behavior. This moderation system is currently active in both Modern Warfare II and Warzone.
User Reporting and Program Impact
Activision shared insights from the program, revealing that only one in five users reported toxic speech when detected by the system, emphasizing the importance of direct player reporting. While the system can take independent action, player reporting remains a critical component for its effectiveness. Activision is implementing measures to encourage more reporting, including messages thanking players for their reports and future plans to provide additional feedback when taking action based on reports.
Since the introduction of the voice chat moderation system, Call of Duty games utilizing the program have experienced an 8% reduction in repeat offenders. Moreover, there has been approximately a 50% reduction in players being exposed to severe instances of toxic chat since the launch of Modern Warfare 3 in November 2023.
Penalties and Future Enhancements
Players identified using offensive speech may face penalties such as voice chat muting and restrictions on certain social features, along with the inability to use text chat. Looking forward, Activision expresses its commitment to continuously improve the anti-toxicity voice moderation system, with plans to enhance tools and add support for additional languages.
Revised Code of Conduct
In tandem with its efforts against toxicity, Activision has updated the Call of Duty code of conduct. The new statement underscores the importance of treating everyone with respect, explicitly addressing issues related to bullying, harassment, hate speech, and discriminatory language. The company emphasizes its dedication to creating a fair and enjoyable gaming environment for all members of its community.
As part of the broader industry initiative, Xbox users can also contribute to toxicity control by capturing and sharing instances of toxic voice chat with Microsoft. The collective efforts aim to foster a more positive and inclusive gaming experience.