Activision appears to have taken action to halt longstanding mod projects aimed at enhancing online gameplay in the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.Â
X Labs, a modding community known as a “laboratory,” reveals that it has received a cease and desist order, compelling them to discontinue their mods, including the operation of fan-managed Modern Warfare 2 servers.
X Labs provided valuable services to enhance the safety and gameplay experience of the Steam version of Modern Warfare 2 by addressing an exploit present in the release. Additionally, they operated their own servers and implemented an anti-cheat system to ensure fairness in their lobbies. While it remains uncertain which specific service drew Activision’s attention, one of their mod setup guides included a link to a torrent of the original game, likely contributing to their legal issues.
The X Labs team has issued a brief statement regarding the receipt of a Cease & Desist letter from Activision Publishing. The statement confirms their compliance with the order and the permanent shutdown of all their operations.
“Today, we have received a Cease & Desist letter on behalf of Activision Publishing in relation to the X Labs project. We are complying with this order and shutting down all operations permanently. Thank you all for your support over the years.”
Today, we have received a Cease & Desist letter on behalf of Activision Publishing in relation to the X Labs project. We are complying with this order and shutting down all operations permanently. Thank you all for your support over the years.
— X Labs (@XLabsProject) May 22, 2023
However, Activision’s decision remains widely criticized, considering that the original Modern Warfare 2 is now 14 years old and has been largely neglected by the company in favor of newer titles. Moreover, it is unlikely to generate significant profits for Activision, given the numerous Call of Duty games released since then. In response, fans have resorted to review-bombing Modern Warfare 2 on Steam, expressing their discontent with the fact that there will no longer be a safe way to play the game without exposing oneself to the security exploit.
