Treyarch is trolling Black Ops Cold War leakers in the best way possible

Leakers are a godsend for players, but they can be a nuisance for developers. Treyarch has taken matters into their own hands and trolled Black Ops Cold War leakers with an absolute classic.

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Leakers are the dark knights of the gaming world. They’re the heroes we need but don’t deserve, and the watchful lurkers and not-so-silent explorers of our favorite game’s data, including Black Ops Cold War. 

But while their efforts are a godsend to players, they’re a nuisance to the developers who work hard to create and update the games we all love to play.

Still, there’s nothing developers can do about it, and that’s fine. They’re certainly not complaining. But in a game of cat and mouse, sometimes the cats like to play with their prey, and that’s exactly what Treyarch did.

Data miners and leakers found some interesting tidbits hidden in the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War executable file. It had a series of odd-looking links that lead people straight to Rick Astley’s infamous “Never Gonna Give You Up” music video on YouTube.

That’s right, folks. Treyarch rickrolled them all.

Treyarch’s rickroll is a classic

Rickrolling is one of the oldest internet pranks and memes. Simply put, it happens when someone sends out a masked link that tricks people into seeing the video of the hilarious and catchy eighties jam.

• Read more: Black Ops Cold War Open Beta patch notes: Control, new weapons, more

Treyarch ‘disguised’ some of the most popular configs, like god mode and what Season 1 could look like in a “test.txt” file. It might be nothing more than simple bait and switch, but it sure is effective, and the reactions are priceless. 

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has been subject to a number of massive leaks. They revealed a workaround to the dropshotting nerf, as well as every map that would be included in the beta.

• Read more: Call of Duty Warzone slang terms & call-outs streamers use

It goes without saying that we owe leakers a lot for their hard work, and it’s not like they’re breaking any rules. But it’s nice to see developers like Treyarch hit back once in a while, and it’s even better when they’re good sports about it.