Call of Duty publisher wins huge lawsuit against cheat maker EngineOwning, set to receive $14.5 million in damages

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 key art
(Image credit: Activision)

Call of Duty's publisher has won a legal case against a cheat maker to the tune of $14.5 million in damages.

If you've been familiar with Call of Duty cheats over the past several years, you've probably heard of EngineOwning: A cheat manufacturer which provided players with cheats in recent Call of Duty games, including Call of Duty Warzone and Modern Warfare 3.

Activision previously sued EngineOwning, and has now won its legal case against the cheat maker, proving to a judge that it has suffered monetary damages through the cheats provided by EngineOwning. The cheat maker now owes Activision $14.5 million in damages, plus $292,000 in legal fees.

Additionally, the judge has ruled in the lawsuit that EngineOwning's website domain must be transferred to Activision's control. It's hardly a surprise that the Call of Duty publisher wants to completely shut down the website domain of the cheat manufacturer for good.

Activision initially sued EngineOwning back in January 2022, and was awarded $3 million in damages from the cheat maker in February 2023. 

This follows hot on the heels of Bungie winning a lawsuit against cheat maker AimJunkies. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the Destiny 2 developer was awarded $63,210 in damages, but this time it was a jury, not a judge, that sided with Bungie in its lawsuit against the cheat manufacturer.

In that legal case, though, it was reported that Phoenix Digital, AimJunkies' parent company, plans to file a motion to have the verdict dismissed, and will appeal if that motion is unsuccessful. In the Activision case, we're yet to hear if EngineOwning plans to dispute the ruling from the judge.

Microsoft has just revealed the first details of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, announcing that it's the first Call of Duty game that will launch on Xbox Game Pass on day one, after Microsoft acquired Activision last year. 

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct confirmed to follow the Xbox Games Showcase with its "first in-depth look at all-new gameplay."

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.