Activision wins $14.5 million lawsuit against ‘Aimbot’ cheat maker

WEB DESK: Activision has achieved a significant triumph in its ongoing legal battle against EngineOwning, a notorious cheat maker that the gaming giant sued in 2022.

District Judge Michael Fitzgerald ruled in favour of Activision, ordering EngineOwning and several associated defendants to pay a hefty $14,465,600 in damages for their creation and distribution of cheats for the popular game, Call of Duty.

In addition to the financial penalties, the judge mandated that EngineOwning must cease operations immediately.

This includes handing over its website, engineowning.to, which remains active and continues to offer cheats such as an “Aimbot” that automatically targets and fires at opponents, and wallhacks that allow players to see through obstacles in various games, including several titles in the Call of Duty series.

Furthermore, EngineOwning is required to cover $292,912 in attorney fees incurred by Activision.

This latest ruling is a continuation of Activision’s efforts to combat cheating in its games. Previously, the company secured $3 million in settlements from two individuals, Ignacio Gayduchenko and Manuel Santiago, who were connected to EngineOwning. However, many other defendants named in the original lawsuit did not respond, prompting Activision to seek a default judgment.

The court’s decision yesterday specifically named EngineOwning founders Valentin Rick and Leon Risch, along with several other key figures involved in managing, marketing, and moderating the site. An authorised reseller, Pascal Classen, was also included in the ruling.

The judge found EngineOwning and its associates guilty of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. They were also found guilty of intentionally encouraging players to use cheats, fully aware that it violated Call of Duty’s terms of use.

This case underscores a growing trend among gaming companies to resort to legal action against cheat creators. In 2022, Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, settled with cheat makers for $13.5 million.

Bungie also won a smaller sum of $63,000 in a separate case, which was notable for being one of the first instances where a jury ruled on such a matter. The defendant, AimJunkies, had opted to fight the case rather than settle.

Activision’s continued success in court sends a strong message to cheat developers and highlights the industry’s commitment to maintaining fair play and integrity within online gaming communities.

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