When managing one of the most played licenses in the world like Call of Duty, it is obvious that moderation issues occupy a significant part of online activities. This will once again be the case with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 which will benefit for the very first time from a voice moderation functionality in French.
The fight against inappropriate comments in Call of Duty comes to French
Activision has already implemented voice and text moderation systems to combat toxic behavior in Modern Warfare III, and they will also be applied in the new game. English, Spanish and Portuguese have already been supported for a while, but for the very first time, French and German will also be supported from October 25, the release date of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Activision explains that Call of Duty’s voice and text moderation tools target behaviors identified in the franchise’s code of conduct, including harassment and derogatory comments. When players launch Black Ops 6’s main multiplayer modes, the game will ask them to agree to uphold the pillars of the Code of Conduct. Here are the main elements targeted:
- Offensive or harmful language
- Hate speech
- Discriminatory remarks
- Harassment
- Menaces
AI detects inappropriate comments and sends a warning which is generally heeded
By including French in its means of detection in Black Ops 6, you will therefore have to pay even more attention to the behavior you may have with other players or risk being sanctioned.
Activision announces that it has already blocked more than 45 million text messages in 20 different languages since 2019 thanks to a partnership with Community Sift, a content classification and moderation solution powered by generative AI and created by Microsoft. “Community Sift will reduce costs, increase retention, and protect your moderators, allowing you to focus on building positive engagement within your community”explains Microsoft.
Call of Duty’s voice moderation strategy, powered by ToxMod, is no less permissive. Activision claims that since rolling out an improved voice chat system in June 2024, Call of Duty has seen a combined 67% reduction in repeat offenders in Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone.
As of July 2024, 80% of players who have been sanctioned for voice chat since the game’s launch have not reoffended. Exposure to disruptive voice chat continues to decline, with a 43% drop since January 2024.
At launch, Black Ops 6 will expand its voice moderation to French and German, in addition to English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
A recent study carried out in the United States shows that 70% of gamers say they avoid playing certain games because of the reputation of the community. For a franchise like Call of Duty, the stakes are high.
