Activision shuts down MW2 Remastered mod after pocketing mass Steam sales
Activision has issued a cease and desist notice against the popular Modern Warfare 2 Remastered multiplayer mod, just days after the game soared in sales.
16th Aug 2024 13:45
Images via Activision
Activision shuts down MW2 Remastered mod after pocketing mass Steam sales
Activision has issued a cease and desist notice against the popular Modern Warfare 2 Remastered multiplayer mod, just days after the game soared in sales.
16th Aug 2024 13:45
Images via Activision
Having never truly remastered Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer - what with a Campaign remake and a port of the maps to this year's MW3 - Call of Duty fans have been left to take matters into their own hands.
A group of modders known as "H2" has been working on an extension for Modern Warfare Remastered (the 2017 CoD 4 remake), which intends to bring Modern Warfare 2 back with all the bells and whistles.
However, despite the popular project seeing thousands of fans buying the game again, it has now been shut down by those Activision overlords.
Activision shuts down MW2 Remastered mod after Steam sales rocketed
Modern Warfare Remastered had become incredibly popular ahead of the release of the H2 multiplayer mod, as the title became the number one trending title on Steam, ahead of Black Ops 6 pre-orders and the resurgent Apex Legends.
Activision has now slammed a cease-and-desist order down the throats of the H2 multiplayer mod creators, causing the free-to-access project to be shut down.
The order came in days before the mod was set to go live and over a year after development started. It also comes after the game had already racked up thousands of sales thanks to being slashed to half price in a sale by Activision.
"Today, our team members received a Cease & Desist order on behalf of Activision Publishing in relation to the H2M-Mod project. We are complying with this order and shutting down all operations immediately and permanently," the mod owners said on X (formerly Twitter).
"Genuinely heartbroken. Over a year of work from a dedicated group of people working for FREE to relive a fan favorite Call of Duty. Not a penny earned despite generating THOUSANDS OF SALES FOR ACTIVISON, all to get shut down AFTER PEOPLE SPENT THEIR MONEY," added one contributor.
H3CZ, FaZe Clan, and more rally against Activision
Immediately after the cease and desist was made public, Call of Duty's most esteemed community members have spoken out, calling on the devs to reverse the decision.
Discussing the situation on stream, OpTic CEO Hector "H3CZ" Rodriguez said, "I would understand if the mod people were charging to get in there or for skins that they can make money on, I would understand that."
"But if it's just a simple mod that increases the quality of the movement and visuals of said game that - which nobody is playing because it's so old - then why interfere? Don't you have bigger things to worry about?"
FaZe Clan also issued a statement against Activision, saying, "We are begging that you guys reconsider this decision."
"Their team made it a requirement to purchase the original MW2 Remastered published by YOU GUYS. An excellent asset to onboard users/ players to your product. This is harmless fun and community building. Something we feel Call of Duty desperately needs."
"Please please PLEASE don't do this Activision," added Tim "TimTheTatman" Betar. Other fans drew comparisons to other game developers who are comfortable with mods that heighten the experience of these creative IPs (Bethesda and Microsoft's Skyrim being noted).
"Rockstar saw the potential of FiveM and online modding for their game and bought them out to support them officially. FiveM makes sales for GTA 5, players love it... Activision sees an online mod for their game, that too requires a purchase of their game, and views it as a threat that must be shut down," another fan concluded.
Steam opens the door to MW2 Remastered refunds
Less than 12 hours after the order was received, the Call of Duty community has now review-bombed Modern Warfare Remastered. The game currently has "Overwhelmingly Negative" reviews, with only 6% of fans leaving pleasant remarks.
Steam is now offering refunds for the game, though, if you bought it within the last week and have less than two hours of game time on it. Still, it's a bitter pill to swallow if you're a hardcore MW2 fan.
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
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