Last week, our Twitter feeds were flooded with images and clips from Call of Duty 'H2M'; a planned mod that fully remastered the original Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer suite. Some huge YouTubers were getting behind the mod as its dev team began to let people test it prior to launch, but right on the eve of its release, Activision has shut down the mod with immediate effect.
Taking to social media just hours before launch, the H2M team said that it had "received a Cease & Desist order on behalf of Activision Publishing" that forced them to shut down the mod before it became available to the public.
They also quickly followed up by saying that anyone pretending to be them, or imitating the mod in any way, had nothing to do with the H2M team. An emphatic "we're done" follow-up message underlines how serious the shutdown order was from the Call of Duty owner.
We can certainly understand the reason behind wanting to shut this down from an ActiBlizz perspective - the mod team was getting so much hype behind a free download that could have impacted sales of current and future COD releases. However, the modders did make it a requirement to own a proper copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (the game it was built from) to play H2M; which in turn made the 2017 remaster shoot up the Steam charts last week.
Alas, H2M isn't to be, and clearly, some fans are maybe not quite as understanding about the whole shutdown here - which is fair enough. MW Remastered is being review-bombed on Steam as a result of this Cease & Desist order, and we've had no official comment from Activision since it sent out said order to the H2M team.
What are your thoughts on this move? Keep it civil and discuss the H2M closure down below.
Comments 14
After the Cease & Desist, someone leaked the files related to H2M and people do have access to the mod once again (even if you don't own MWR on Steam, although im not 100% sure on that one). So the project lives on, just not "officially". Lots of players on it too still.
In before the accusatory Microsoft hate posts.
@GuyinPA75 I see it on the horizon 😂
Well I heard that it also uses Assets from other CoD games - not their 'own' or 'required' purchases from Activision to run.
Personally, I think that they should shut down ALL Mods etc that are using their intellectual property, their 'name' etc. Make their own games!! I have NO Sympathy!!
I fully get why MS don’t want the mod used. It’s their IP.
But why not stop it months ago? Why wait till the day before release?
Cynic in me says it was to get the boost in sales
Microsoft might have that planned already to make now not very surprising sucks for them though they will never get that time back 🥺
Mint Blitz's video sums this situation up perfectly. This was a massive scumbag move.
@GuyinPA75 Activision carries the hate pretty well, I doubt MS gets much of the blame
This is Activision we are talking about, did anyone think this would actually be allowed?
@PsBoxSwitchOwner I'll tell you why they waited. It's because the game (not the mod but the actual game) was selling very well on steam prior to the mods release. So, likely thousands of people were buying the game for the mod. Activision wanted to milk sales out of the mod up until the last moment. Corporate evil at its finest.
@Jenkinss https://youtu.be/UAw6vV3HdMQ?si=SjKqkRm14u5cBz5X
Here's that video for anyone who is interested.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner
That's literally why theh waited until the last minute.
Why turn down free money?
Oh no the competition against fans Activision can't have that, oh hating modding
Not surprised. Whatever the actual reason is.
In terms of assets used then yeah they likely can't, or tech sure in a way they probably can't host the mod, depending on the circumstances or making it free even if not money based competition.
Either way it gets complicated and whoever got to it before taken down enjoy it.
Seriously think the original MW2 is long due to be remastered and it would print money so why can’t they do the multiplayer like they’ve already done the single player?
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