Activision on a Killstreak: Call of Duty Publisher Shuts Down Yet Another Fan-Made Project After SM2

Published 05/23/2023, 8:45 AM EDT

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The biggest downside of a franchise like Call of Duty is that each new title in a year ends up making its predecessors less attractive. But that’s a common trend to see in the gaming space. A fresh installment generally ends up edging out the older offerings as players get more excited to see what’s in store for them.

Another important thing to note is that the format of offering a new game every year has resulted in a decreased popularity of classic COD titles. That’s because most of the fans tend to grab the latest games instead of sticking to the older ones. Hence, the number of active players crumbles for entries that are old. For keeping them relevant, some of the developers have tried to create mods based on classic games to keep them running. However, Activision has now decided to go after such projects by forcing them to close operations.

Activision is dropping nukes on Call of Duty mod projects!

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In case anyone missed keeping track of events, SM2 modded client was recently forced to shut down. Its team had received a letter from Activision, asking them to close the operations with immediate effect. But it was just the beginning of taking down the modded projects.

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That’s because the publisher has now forced another fan-made project to stop operations. This time, it’s the turn of XLabs – a community-made project that included modded versions of games like 2015’s Black Ops 3.

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Maurice Heumann, developer at XLabs, recently posted a tweet on his main account while informing Call of Duty fans of the unfortunate news. He mentioned that Activision sent his team a “Cease & Desist” letter. “Because of that, we are also going to shut down BOIII. Thank you all for your support,” read the tweet.

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The latest action by Activision implies that players who want to enjoy older COD titles won’t be able to do so anymore. There’s no way they can play hits like Modern Warfare 2, Ghosts, Advanced Warfare, and Black Ops 3 online. Going forward, trying to play these titles online might end up putting their systems at risk on the original servers.

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What are your thoughts on this current situation and the publisher’s harsh stance toward fan-made projects? Let us know in the comments down below.

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Written by:

Mintu Tomar

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Mintu Tomar is a senior eSports writer at EssentiallySports, whose passion for video games is unmatched. With an impressive portfolio of over 1900 articles, Mintu is an expert in the coverage of Call of Duty. His extensive knowledge of the industry and insightful commentary have earned him the respect of many prominent figures, including actors, podcast hosts, and other important individuals in the gaming world.
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Edited by:

Akash Pandhare