Activision takes down Modern Warfare Remastered's H2M mod, but fans are keeping it alive

by Danny Craig  · 
Activision takes down Modern Warfare Remastered's H2M mod, but fans are keeping it alive
Activision

After Activision issued a cease and desist order to the team behind H2M, a mod for 2016's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered that ported over the multiplayer from the original Modern Warfare 2, fans continued to play using a leaked version of the mod.

The details:

  • Last week, the H2M team announced that Activision had issued a cease and desist order just a day before its release, forcing it to cancel the project entirely. The mod included fan-made weapon and map models to accurately recreate the beloved multiplayer of 2009's MW2, after Activision chose to only remaster its campaign mode.

  • The mod, which was being developed by a volunteer team and would be available for free, also required a legitimate copy of MW Remastered, propelling the game to the top of the Steam best-sellers chart. Shortly after the takedown, many fans began criticizing Activision for waiting until the day before release to issue the cease and desist, accusing the publisher of exploiting the mod's popularity to sell copies of the game that could not be refunded if players spent more than two hours playing.

  • Despite the project's official shutdown, copies of the mod’s client and server software were leaked shortly after the announcement. Using the leaked files, hundreds of players have begun to play online as intended, including members of esports organization FaZe Clan, which originated as a sniping clan on MW2.

  • The publisher has previously taken down "throwback" fan-made COD projects. Last year, SM2, which attempted to create the "ultimate COD" by combining weapons, maps, and modes from previous franchise entries, was hit with a cease and desist. Around the same time, X Labs, which hosted custom clients for classic COD titles, received a similar order.

  • It is believed that Activision has continued to take action as these fan projects may divert sales away from its upcoming releases. A build of Black Ops 6's multiplayer was leaked online earlier this month, and with the official reveal approaching, the publisher is likely hoping to focus all attention on the title rather than a mod for an older release.

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