Activision has apparently closed long-running mod projects used to improve online gameplay in the original Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. X Labs, which describes itself as a modding "lab", says it has been issued a cease and desist, forcing it to shut down its mods, including the fan-run Modern Warfare 2 servers.
X Labs services were used to make the Steam version of Modern Warfare 2 safe to play, removing an exploit found in this release. X Labs also maintained their own servers and even implemented their own anti-cheat system to keep things fair in their lobbies. Since the group ran many services, it's unclear which one caught Activision's attention. However, in one of the how-to guides for getting your mods up and running, it links to a torrent of the original game, likely the cause of your legal troubles.
"Today we received a cease and desist letter on behalf of Activision Publishing in relation to the X Labs project," read a short statement from the X Labs team. "We are complying with this order and closing all operations permanently." .
While all X Labs content requires an installation of Modern Warfare 2 to work, he acknowledges that not everyone would play a legitimate copy. In fact, in the installation instructions, there is a link to a site that allows you to download a torrent of the game, bypassing the requirement to have the game on Steam.
Regardless, this remains an unpopular move from Activision, given that the original Modern Warfare 2 is now 14 years old and has therefore been ignored by the company in favor of more recent titles. It wouldn't be much of a source of revenue for Activision either, given all the Call of Duty games that have been released since. In response, fans are criticizing Modern Warfare 2 on Steam, complaining that there will be no way to play it without exposing yourself to the security vulnerability.
"They removed the best way to play it, and you can get your IP [address] leaked if you play online,โ reads one negative review. โReports due to old unresolved security/privacy vulnerability,โ says another. โRIP X Labsโ.
Activision has not commented on the matter, and it is not known if it will. If X Labs really is ceasing all work in response to this legal pressure, then the company will consider the matter resolved. We will have to see if other classics Obligations fan projects are criticized in this way, or if this was just a response to X Labs hosting a link to hack the game.
TheGamer has contacted Activision Blizzard for comments.
