Call of Duty just got caught red-handed engaging in what PC Gamer diplomatically called “the most petty corporation prize” – censoring the name of upcoming extraction shooter Arc Raiders from Black Ops 6 beta chat while gleefully allowing players to discuss Battlefield 6, the franchise’s actual direct competitor. Reddit user RedRoses711 discovered the bizarre filtering on October 5, 2025, showing that typing “Arc Raiders” produced only asterisks, though neither “Arc” nor “Raiders” triggered censorship individually. The timing couldn’t look worse for Activision – Arc Raiders launches October 30, just two weeks before Black Ops 6’s November 14 release, making this either the pettiest competitive move in gaming history or the most unfortunately timed “text filter error” imaginable.
Activision swears it’s the latter. “The censorship was simply an error having to do with lobbies’ text filters,” the publisher told PC Gamer, claiming technical glitch rather than corporate sabotage. The company quietly patched out the censorship after backlash, with Kotaku confirming that “Arc Raiders” now types normally in Black Ops 6 lobbies. However, the “accident” theory faces significant credibility challenges given that EA’s Battlefield 6 chat censored the exact same phrase months earlier in August 2025 before quickly reversing course once exposed. Either both Activision and EA coincidentally configured chat filters incorrectly targeting the same competitor, or something more deliberate is happening behind corporate PR denials.
The Discovery and Community Testing
Reddit user RedRoses711 posted video evidence to r/Games showing the censorship in action, sparking immediate community investigation into exactly what triggered the filter. “It’s interesting to point out that the terms ‘Arc’ and ‘Raiders’ do not face censorship individually; it’s only when they are combined that the filtering happens,” user scrndude documented with 740 upvotes, establishing that this wasn’t crude keyword blocking but specifically targeted phrase filtering.
PC Gamer’s Elie Gould independently verified the censorship: “When you try to type those words you just get a load of asterisks. Neither ‘Arc’ nor ‘Raiders’ is picked up like this, only the two words together.” This surgical precision – allowing components but blocking the combination – suggests deliberate configuration rather than accidental overzealous filtering that might block individual problematic words.
Eurogamer confirmed identical results: “Eurogamer confirmed that the term Arc Raiders is starred out in the Black Ops 6 beta… It’s worth noting the words ‘Arc’ and ‘Raiders’ on their own don’t get censored, it’s only when you put them both together where censoring occurs.” The consistent behavior across multiple testers eliminated possibility of isolated bugs affecting specific users or regions.
What Was and Wasn’t Censored
- **Censored**: “Arc Raiders” (when typed together)
- **Allowed**: “Arc” (individually)
- **Allowed**: “Raiders” (individually)
- **Allowed**: “Battlefield 6” (direct competitor)
- **Allowed**: “Fortnite” (competitor)
- **Allowed**: Other game titles generally
Activision’s ‘Text Filter Error’ Explanation
Activision’s official response emphasized technical malfunction rather than competitive maneuvering. “Activision, which supplied a statement to PC Gamer, said that ‘Arc Raiders’ being blocked from chat was the result of a ‘text filter error’ and that it would be fixed soon,” TweakTown reported, documenting the publisher’s damage control messaging.
“For its part, Activision has said (via PC Gamer) that the censorship was simply an error having to do with lobbies’ text filters,” Games Radar reiterated, presenting the official narrative without editorial judgment about its credibility. The swift patching action supported Activision’s claims – Kotaku confirmed removal of the censorship shortly after public exposure, with independent testing verifying that “Arc Raiders” now types normally.
However, the “error” explanation struggles explaining the specificity. Text filter errors typically manifest as overzealous blocking (Scunthorpe problem), not surgical phrase targeting that allows individual words but censors their combination. “This might be the case, but it is strange that the title of another highly anticipated competitive shooter, which is also due out soon, was accidentally getting blocked due to an error,” TweakTown observed with diplomatic skepticism.
The community wasn’t buying it. Reddit responses ranged from cynical to outright mocking, with users questioning why “text filter errors” coincidentally target competitors while allowing discussion of Battlefield 6 – the franchise that actually threatens Call of Duty’s market dominance. The swift patch removing the censorship only after public backlash suggests reactive damage control rather than proactive bug fixing.
EA Did the Exact Same Thing in August
The credibility of Activision’s “error” defense collapsed when community members noted identical censorship occurred on EA’s platform months earlier. “Funnily enough, Arc Raiders players found the term ‘Arc Raiders’ also got automatically censored from the EA App chat feature, while other game names like Call of Duty did not. This was quickly patched out once publicised,” Eurogamer reported, documenting the precedent that makes coincidence increasingly implausible.
“Several months ago users reported a similar problem in the EA App chat,” PC Gamer noted. “The situation here was exactly the same. Once this was noticed EA seemed to move quickly to correct the situation, and players could happily chat about Arc Raiders on the EA App from 6 August.” The parallel patterns – same phrase censored, competitors allowed, quick reversal after exposure – suggest either coordinated strategy or shared third-party filtering systems with identical misconfiguration.
“Electronic Arts is automatically censoring mentions of ARC Raiders in its PC app chat system. The upcoming extraction shooter from former DICE veterans gets replaced with hashtags, while titles like Call of Duty and Fortnite display normally,” Boosting Ground documented in August coverage. EA’s censorship included both “Arc Raiders” and “ARC Raiders” while allowing The Finals – another Embark Studios game – creating the same surgical targeting that now appears in Black Ops 6.
Reddit user WifiRouterYT’s August testing revealed EA’s selective filtering: “Call of Duty, Fortnite, Escape from Tarkov, and Marathon all type normally in EA’s chat. Only ARC Raiders gets the hashtag treatment.” This specificity undermines innocent technical glitch narratives for both publishers, suggesting either deliberate corporate policy or remarkably coincidental filter misconfiguration targeting the same competitor.
The Third-Party Filter Theory
Some community members offered charitable explanation that both publishers might use shared third-party content moderation systems with Arc Raiders incorrectly flagged. “It seems that both Battlefield and Call of Duty are experiencing similar issues, which suggests a connection to a third-party content moderation system that may be banning certain phrases,” Reddit user smootex theorized, providing plausible technical explanation that doesn’t require corporate conspiracy.
“Regarding whether this situation is deliberate, it’s worth noting that many platforms now rely heavily on AI for content moderation. As a result, it’s not uncommon to encounter strange glitches like this from time to time,” smootex continued, acknowledging how machine learning systems produce unexpected false positives when trained on datasets containing spam or abuse patterns.
“Some users are theorizing about the ‘Scunthorpe problem,’ but I believe it’s more probable that the filtering system is flagging the phrase as part of an anti-spam measure,” smootex suggested. “If there was spam content using the term ‘Arc Raiders’ on whichever platform they used to train their model, that could have led to the automatic filtering.”
However, this theory struggles explaining why “Arc Raiders” would generate spam patterns that trained AI to block it while allowing every other major shooter title. The charitable interpretation requires accepting that Arc Raiders happened to be associated with spam campaigns across multiple platforms using different moderation systems, creating identical false positives that coincidentally emerged as the game approaches release competing against both publishers’ flagship franchises.
Arc Raiders Developer Response: Jokes and Shade
Embark Studios, Arc Raiders’ developer, responded with humor that barely disguised the shade being thrown at Activision. “Arc Raiders developer Embark Studios has seemingly responded to reports of the words ‘Arc Raiders’ being censored in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 lobbies,” Games Radar reported, noting the studio’s social media activity following the controversy.
“ARC Raiders poking fun at Call of Duty for censoring the name of their game in text chat,” ModernWarzone tweeted, documenting Embark’s response that generated 148,400 views. The developer emphasized that despite censorship attempts, “we’re still on track to release on October 30th,” turning competitive sabotage allegations into marketing opportunity that highlighted their October launch preceding Black Ops 6’s November release.
The response demonstrated savvy PR understanding that David-versus-Goliath narratives benefit smaller studios. By publicly joking about giant publishers allegedly fearing their game enough to censor its name, Embark generated awareness and sympathy that money couldn’t buy. The controversy probably drove more Arc Raiders interest than any traditional marketing campaign, validating the old publicity adage that there’s no such thing as bad press.
Why Arc Raiders But Not Battlefield 6?
The censorship’s selectivity creates the most damaging circumstantial evidence against innocent error theories. Battlefield 6 launches October 10, 2025 – four days before this article and directly competing with Black Ops 6’s November 14 release for the same military shooter audience. Yet “Battlefield 6” types normally in Black Ops 6 chat, creating glaring inconsistency that demands explanation.
“Now, it’s only natural to assume this was a brazen attempt by Activision to censor out the name of one of its upcoming competitors, and it’s possible that’s the case, but if so, why not censor, you know, Battlefield 6? Far and away Black Ops 6’s most direct and formidable competition,” Games Radar questioned, articulating the logic that undermines deliberate censorship theories while simultaneously making them more puzzling.
“The game that seems to worry Activision, though? Going by the chat function in Black Ops 6, it’s Arc Raiders (due out on October 30),” PC Gamer observed sarcastically, emphasizing the bizarre priorities suggested by blocking Arc Raiders while allowing Battlefield discussion. If Activision truly feared competitive mentions, Battlefield represents exponentially larger threat than extraction shooter from relatively unknown studio.
Possible explanations range from psychological (Arc Raiders poaching ex-DICE talent creates personal grudges) to strategic (extraction shooters threaten Call of Duty’s Warzone model more than traditional Battlefield multiplayer) to conspiratorial (both publishers coordinated to suppress Arc Raiders as mutual threat). None fully satisfy logical scrutiny, leaving the situation frustratingly ambiguous between corporate pettiness and unfortunate technical coincidence.
The Former DICE Developers Context
Arc Raiders’ developer pedigree adds corporate rivalry context that makes the censorship particularly spicy. “ARC Raiders comes from Embark Studios, founded in 2018 by Patrick Söderlund. He’s the former DICE CEO who helped build EA’s Battlefield franchise before leaving with other key developers,” Boosting Ground explained, documenting how Embark represents brain drain from EA’s premier shooter studio.
“Rob Runnesson, DICE’s former chief creative officer, joined Söderlund at Embark along with numerous other ex-DICE talent. These developers created some of EA’s biggest military shooter hits before going independent,” the report continued, emphasizing that Arc Raiders isn’t just any competitor – it’s created by the people who built Battlefield’s legacy before abandoning EA.
“Their departure wasn’t quiet. Industry analyst Rishi Chadha from Niko Partners notes that ‘when high-profile talent leaves to build competitive products, corporate sensitivities often surface – intentionally or through automated systems,'” Boosting Ground quoted, providing industry perspective on how personnel departures create lasting corporate tensions that manifest in surprising ways.
This context makes both publishers’ Arc Raiders censorship more comprehensible through corporate psychology rather than competitive strategy. EA might resent former employees competing with Battlefield using skills developed there, while Activision could see Arc Raiders as extraction shooter threat to Warzone’s dominance. Personal and strategic grievances combining create motivations that pure market competition analysis misses.
Community Reactions: Cynicism and Jokes
The gaming community responded with predictable cynicism, dark humor, and Raiders NFL jokes that somehow dominated discussion more than substantive analysis. “The reason is that discussing the Las Vegas Raiders can result in repercussions,” user achmedclaus joked with 343 upvotes, spawning entire subthread about the football team’s dysfunction that overshadowed the actual censorship controversy.
“Raiders supporters are putting themselves through torture by continuing to watch their games,” MateTheNate continued the sports tangent with 115 upvotes. “After they departed from Oakland, I lost faith in them,” Halkcyon added, creating recursive joke chain where Arc Raiders censorship became vehicle for venting about unrelated sports frustrations.
More substantive responses expressed skepticism about Activision’s error explanation without fully embracing conspiracy theories. “Pretty much confirms its no error of some kinda since it censors two of the most anticipated games that cod players have showed interest in,” one r/ArcRaiders user argued, connecting EA and Activision’s identical behavior as evidence of coordination or policy rather than coincidence.
“I’m quite taken aback that this hasn’t been discussed more widely,” user LoudestMouse posted in August when EA’s censorship emerged. “What do you all think about this?” The subsequent discussion revealed community split between those seeing corporate conspiracy and pragmatists noting that chat filter bugs happen frequently without sinister explanations.
The Scunthorpe Problem and Filter Failures
Chat filter false positives represent common technical challenge that provides innocent explanation for seemingly targeted censorship. The “Scunthorpe problem” – where legitimate words containing profanity substrings get incorrectly blocked – demonstrates how crude filtering creates unintended consequences that require constant refinement.
“A few days ago, I wasted an excessive amount of time trying to understand what was wrong with a message I sent. Ultimately, I discovered that the problem stemmed from the phrase ‘but it should,’ which was flagged for spelling out a certain word,” Reddit user Hillow shared, providing recent example of absurd filter behavior that blocks innocent phrases while allowing genuinely offensive content.
“That happened when I was in high school with ‘mars explorer’ I graduated 20 years ago though. Few days ago for this is wild,” user C-C-X-V-I responded, noting how chat filter problems persist across decades despite technological advancement. These examples demonstrate that strange filtering behavior doesn’t require corporate conspiracy – simple technical incompetence suffices.
However, Arc Raiders censorship differs from classic Scunthorpe scenarios. Traditional filter failures involve substring matches where legitimate words accidentally contain profanity fragments. Arc Raiders blocking requires phrase-level filtering that specifically targets the complete game title while allowing individual components – suggesting more sophisticated configuration than crude keyword matching that produces typical false positives.
Arc Raiders Release Context and Competition
The censorship controversy arrives during crucial pre-release window where Arc Raiders competes for mindshare against two established franchises. “Arc Raiders, on the other hand, is set to release on the 30th October, and has an open beta on the weekend starting the 17th October,” Eurogamer noted, highlighting how the game launches between Battlefield 6 (October 10) and Black Ops 6 (November 14) in crowded shooter marketplace.
“It’s brilliant fun and well worth trying out, at least if the first beta was any indication of quality,” Eurogamer continued, suggesting the extraction shooter offers genuine competitive alternative rather than derivative clone. This quality creates legitimate threat to both publishers – if Arc Raiders successfully captures audience, it potentially damages both Battlefield and Call of Duty player retention.
The $60 pricing positions Arc Raiders as premium experience rather than free-to-play alternative, directly competing for purchase dollars that might otherwise go to Battlefield 6 or Black Ops 6. “I bought both. I’m supporting both equally. I got the $100 BF6 edition. I got the $60 Arc Raiders edition,” one YouTube commenter shared, demonstrating how some players treat the releases as complementary rather than substitutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you type “Arc Raiders” in Call of Duty Black Ops 6 now?
Yes, Activision patched out the censorship shortly after public backlash. The phrase now types normally without asterisks appearing.
Why was Arc Raiders censored in the first place?
Activision claims “text filter error,” though the identical issue occurring in EA’s Battlefield chat months earlier suggests either shared third-party filtering systems or coordinated corporate policy.
Was Battlefield 6 also censored in Call of Duty chat?
No, “Battlefield 6” typed normally, creating inconsistency that undermines innocent error theories since Battlefield represents Black Ops 6’s most direct competitor.
Did EA censor Arc Raiders too?
Yes, EA’s app chat automatically censored “Arc Raiders” in August 2025, replacing it with hashtags. This was quickly patched after community discovery.
When does Arc Raiders release?
October 30, 2025, positioning it between Battlefield 6 (October 10) and Call of Duty Black Ops 6 (November 14) releases.
Who developed Arc Raiders?
Embark Studios, founded by former DICE CEO Patrick Söderlund and other ex-DICE veterans who helped create EA’s Battlefield franchise.
What did Embark Studios say about the censorship?
The developer responded with humor on social media, joking about the censorship while emphasizing they remain “on track to release on October 30th.”
Conclusion
The Arc Raiders censorship saga represents either gaming’s pettiest corporate moment or the most unfortunately timed technical coincidence in industry history. Activision’s “text filter error” explanation requires accepting that both they and EA independently misconfigured chat systems to target the exact same competitor game while allowing all others, including direct franchise rivals. The swift patches removing censorship only after public exposure suggest reactive damage control rather than proactive bug fixing, undermining innocent error narratives.
However, deliberate censorship theories face equal logical challenges. Why target Arc Raiders while allowing Battlefield 6 discussion? If competitive suppression was policy, wouldn’t it apply consistently rather than selectively? The surgical precision – blocking phrase combinations while allowing individual words – suggests sophisticated configuration that makes accidental mistakes less plausible, yet deliberate policy more puzzling given the arbitrary selectivity.
Perhaps the truth lies between conspiracy and coincidence – corporate sensitivity toward former DICE developers creating competitive products manifested through chat filter policies that technically qualified as “errors” once exposed publicly. The speed of reversals suggests publishers recognized the optics disaster while maintaining plausible deniability about intentionality. Regardless of truth, Arc Raiders probably benefited from controversy that generated awareness money couldn’t buy, validating the counterintuitive PR principle that censorship attempts often backfire spectacularly by amplifying precisely what they intended to suppress.