A former Infinity Ward developer has publicly criticized Activision for shutting down a fan-developed remaster of 2009's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, just a day before its release. The project, which had generated significant excitement within the gaming community, aimed to revive Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer mode with enhanced visuals and updated features.

The H2M Mod was scheduled for release on August 16, but just before its launch, the development team announced via social media that they had received a cease-and-desist order from Activision Publishing. Complying with the legal directive, the developers stated that they were shutting down all operations related to the project immediately and permanently. Some inspiration behind the mod stemmed from Activision’s choice to remaster only the single-player campaign of Modern Warfare 2, leaving its popular multiplayer mode untouched, which had made the mod highly anticipated. The sudden cancelation sparked significant backlash, with players expressing frustration across platforms, leading to review bombing on Steam and refund requests for Modern Warfare Remastered.

In response to Activision’s decision to cancel the Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer remaster, former Infinity Ward developer Robert Bowling expressed criticism. He highlighted that many members of the original Infinity Ward team had backgrounds as modders and had benefited from the mod tools and server files provided with the original Call of Duty PC games. These tools were intended to empower community creations and extend the original vision of the games. Bowling argued that developers should focus on creating systems that support user-generated content communities, rather than limiting their potential.

A lot of the original Infinity Ward team consisted of devs who used to be modders.

The original Call of Duty PC games released mod tools and server files to empower community creations to expand on the original vision.

Build systems to help your UGC community not strangle it. https://t.co/zq9Ysg3Ir3

— Robert Bowling (@fourzerotwo) August 15, 2024

Popular esports organization FaZe Clan also responded to the situation, tweeting its disappointment. It stated that while it was not involved in the remaster project, it had enthusiastic fans who looked forward to creating content, such as an ILLCAMS for the H2 mod. It emphasized that the remaster is a valuable asset for community building and onboarding new players. FaZe Clan urged Activision to reconsider its decision, framing the remaster as an opportunity for harmless fun and community engagement, which it believes is needed for the Call of Duty franchise.

Additionally, the Call of Duty community has launched a petition on Change.org titled "Let H2M-Mod Live in Peace." In less than 24 hours, the petition garnered nearly 6,500 signatures from players advocating for the release of the mod to the public. As of this writing, the petition has accumulated 7,875 signatures, with a goal of reaching 10,000. This growing support underscores the community's strong desire to see the remaster project come to fruition.

Posted: Aug 22, 2024 2:09 pm
Related Forum: Call of Duty Forum

Source: https://gamerant.com/call-of-duty-mw2-mod-shutdown-former-infinity-ward-dev-comments/