The Call of Duty franchise has long lost its relevance with the dedicated audience it built nearly two decades ago. The fast-paced first person shooter has seemingly transformed to cater to casual players and younger audiences, incorporating slide-cancel mechanics and inclusive, free-to-play battle royale modes.
For gamers craving a genuine, traditional shooter that recalls the days when Call of Duty was developed with passion and love, rather than being driven by corporate greed and microtransactions, DLC expansions sold as standalone games, diversity initiatives like free Pride weapon camouflages for Pride Month, or superficial collaborations with celebrities such as Snoop Dogg and Nicki Minaj aimed at “celebrating Black culture” in a military shooter, this mod offers a refreshing return to form.
Naturally, when there’s a demand for a product similar to the classic Call of Duty titles where “boots on the ground” truly meant boots on the ground, dedicated fans took matters into their own hands.
This led to the creation of the “H2M” mod for Call of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered, not to be confused with the 2019 reboot that shares the name of the 2007 classic military shooter.
The H2 Multiplayer mod for Call of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered aimed to reintroduce various assets into the core game, allowing players to relive the multiplayer experience of the beloved 2009 release, Modern Warfare 2.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered, not to be confused with the 2019 reboot that shares the name of the 2007 classic military shooter became the foundation for the H2 Multiplayer mod.
This mod aimed to reintroduce various assets into the game, allowing players to relive the familiar multiplayer experience from the wildly popular 2009 release, Modern Warfare 2.
This is distinct from Activision’s single-player-only “remaster” released in 2020, followed by the 2022 release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, showcasing creative bankruptcy.
Modern Warfare Remastered was actually on sale for 50% off on Steam, and YouTubers and content creators were eagerly promoting the H2M mod by showcasing gameplay footage.
There was a significant amount of hype leading up to its planned release on August 16th. However, just a day before the mod’s launch, and coinciding with the end of the Steam sale, Activision issued the H2M team a Cease and Desist order, effectively canceling the mod’s release and shutting it down entirely.
This outcome was hardly surprising, given the notorious reputation of a corporation like Activision. However, it also serves as a cautionary tale for aspiring creators who aim to release large-scale mods for popular titles or develop their own fan-made games or “remakes.”
The lesson here is to release your creation quietly onto the internet before making any public announcements. The attention H2M garnered from content creators through exclusive “beta” tests ultimately led to its discovery by Activision’s watchful, and tyrannical, eyes.
In a move both cunning and heinous, Activision waited until the end of the game’s Steam sale to act, effectively scamming those who bought the game in anticipation of the H2M mod’s release.
Many of these buyers might not even be eligible for refunds. During this brief period, the game surged to become one of the top sellers on the Steam store.
Activision essentially waited until the very last moment to shut down the H2M mod, which promised over 50 multiplayer maps from various Call of Duty titles, an extensive weapon selection, the original MW2 progression system, and every classic killstreak.
With the base game plagued by cheaters, this third-party mod aimed to offer an alternative multiplayer experience, providing gamers with hope for a true modernized version of the classic Call of Duty experience. However, Activision has treated these dedicated fans like mere pawns, exploiting them and an eight year old game entirely for profit.
H2M’s shutdown is part of a broader pattern of fan-made mods being shut down before they can fully launch or shortly thereafter by Activision. For example, they also issued a Cease and Desist order for the “SM2” mod, a project reportedly in development by dedicated fans for over a year.
SM2 was another independent effort that sought to incorporate assets and features from the 2009 release of Modern Warfare 2, building on the foundation of Modern Warfare Remastered.
Around the same time, Activision also forced the shutdown of X Labs, a project that hosted servers for older titles like Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 3 which are plagued with security issues and cheating.
It’s clear that Activision doesn’t want gamers to relive the glory days of Call of Duty; instead, they seem intent on pushing consumers toward their subpar “remakes” that bastardize the original trilogy.
They also refuse to address persistent issues in the series, such as the widely criticized slide-cancel mechanic, which is frequently exploited to give players an unfair advantage.
With Activision appearing to exploit dedicated fans who prefer classic gameplay, it raises concerns about whether they might also target the popular “Plutonium” mod. This third-party community project enhances the multiplayer experience for several titles, including World at War, Black Ops, Modern Warfare 3, and Black Ops 2.
Plutonium provides mod support and dedicated servers, benefiting PC gamers who want to revisit these older titles with like-minded players or enjoy cooperative modes like Treyarch’s iconic Nazi Zombies.
Gamers who were likely caught off guard by Activision’s sudden move have expressed their frustration by review bombing the game on Steam, driving its recent rating to “Overwhelmingly Negative,” with only 8% of reviews in the last 30 days being positive.
This backlash has significantly impacted the game’s overall rating, bringing it down to “Mixed” with just 58% positive reviews. However, this won’t sway Activision’s stance; instead, they seem poised to exploit consumers again with the upcoming release of Black Ops 6, which is set to launch this fall as a day-one title on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass.
