Black Ops multiplayer is problematic on PlayStation, and Activision is hurrying to address the issues.

      Activision begins addressing hacked Black Ops lobbies that can restrict players from accessing multiplayer

      It has only been a few days since Activision released Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and hackers are already disrupting the experience for returning players.

      Modded lobbies have appeared in the original Black Ops, allowing certain players to amass large amounts of XP while others receive negative XP that can lower their prestige below level 1 and prevent them from accessing multiplayer. Activision has now launched the initial phase of a fix and states that additional protections are forthcoming.

      How did the XP exploit impact players?

      In game modes like Domination, matches could become flooded with players who repeatedly spawn, self-destruct, and disconnect instead of playing as intended. Reports indicate that some modded lobbies provide players with excessive XP, which is exploited to elevate prestige levels.

      Conversely, some hacked lobbies seem to produce the opposite effect. There are reports that self-destructing in these matches can lead to negative XP, causing a player's prestige to fall below level 1 and possibly locking them out of multiplayer. Additionally, some players have alleged that their Call of Duty Points were also impacted by the hacked lobbies.

      What actions has Activision taken to resolve the issue?

      Initially, Activision disabled certain playlists while they looked into the reports. They have since updated those playlists via a server-side fix and reset players with negative XP to level 20, enabling them to access multiplayer and resume their progression.

      Activision has stated that this is just the first phase, and more fixes are expected in future updates. Their announcement currently pertains to the original Black Ops on PS4 and PS5, leaving it uncertain whether similar issues reported in Black Ops 2 are being managed separately.

      Hacked lobbies have long been an issue for these games. The original PS3 versions, particularly Black Ops 2, were frequently plagued by mod menus, XP exploits, and lobbies that could alter or corrupt player progression. Activision's own support documentation cautioned that joining a hacked lobby could lead to the loss or alteration of ranks and stats. Many returning players had hoped that the new ports and updated servers would leave these problems behind, yet it appears that Activision has not completely resolved these longstanding issues.