Activision takes legal action against Black Ops 3 mods
Shortly after shutting down one of the most highly-anticipated Call of Duty fan projects - one that would arguably have rivalled Modern Warfare 3 for player attention - Activision has now swung its devastating legal hammer again.
Seemingly in a bid to protect its IP, Activision has taken legal action against another popular fan-made project, this time taking a swing at a modding community which allows functionality for players on older Activision games like Black Ops 3.
The publishing giant has now ordered another cease and desist order against X Labs, leaving their Black Ops 3 mod to be shut down. As you can imagine, the Call of Duty community is furious.
Activision shuts down X Labs Call of Duty mods
Known for being a mod that protects players from cheaters and hackers in games such as Black Ops 3, Advanced Warfare, and Ghosts, X Labs has now revealed that they are the second fan-made project to receive cease and desist orders from Activision publishing.
Taking to Twitter X Labs explained, "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."
The news was met with utter outrage on social media, given that Activision itself has stopped supporting their classic titles and cheaters are running amock.
"SM2 and XLabs being shut down while Activision still sells Black Ops 2 on Steam for $60 all these years later with the chance your computer gets ratted while playing is absolutely wild," said popular Call of Duty creator "Apollo".
Call of Duty community furious as Activision shut down mods for old titles
Amid these legal orders, fans are also becoming increasingly concerned about other mods, such as the Plutonium mod, which allows for games like Black Ops 2 to be run efficiently.
In particular, OpTic content creator and Team Summertime member Davis "Hitch" Edwards vocalised his concerns, given that he has hosted a range of popular Activision-certified throwback tournaments for professionals to relive their glory days on games like Black Ops 2 via the Plutonium mod.
"I can't understand this decision. The final nail in the coffin for many of these legendary games was issued by the developer themselves. What a sad, sad day. R.I.P. Modern Warfare 2, Ghosts, Advanced Warfare, Black Ops III. Thanks for the memories," he said on Twitter.
The Plutonium project also added, "the Steam version of some of the games will actually get you infected with Malware on private and public matches. That's partly why we are here."
This wave of strikes appears to be calculated from Activision, though, and it might be a grave few weeks for fan-made Call of Duty projects...
