Summary
- Call of Duty fans have been clamoring for a Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer remaster to recapture the glory days of the franchise.
- The fan-led H2M mod aimed to faithfully recreate the iconic MW2 multiplayer experience but was abruptly shut down by Activision.
- Activision allegedly profited from the H2M mod before issuing a cease and desist, sparking outrage among the Call of Duty community.
The core multiplayer gameplay of the Call of Duty franchise has changed dramatically over the years, with the pacing and main mechanics of the IP facing a lot of noticeable changes. The rapid annual turnaround of new franchise releases often makes these older styles of play inaccessible, creating a big demand among fans for something that recaptures the glory years of the franchise's past.
This is something that Activision has clearly recognized before, with the 2016 release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered offering fans the opportunity to relive the multiplayer of the iconic 2007 title with improved graphics. Despite this, a multiplayer remaster for 2009's Modern Warfare 2 is arguably the most highly-demanded potential project within the Call of Duty community, although Activision seemingly has no intentions of reviving the game's multiplayer on modern hardware. This led to the development of the fan-led H2M mod for Modern Warfare Remastered, which aimed to remaster the multiplayer of the original Modern Warfare 2, though Activision recently killed the project in an extremely controversial way.
August 21 Is the End of an Era for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
As post-launch support for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 winds down, August 21 is going to mark the end of an era for the hit shooter.
Activision Stopped One of the Most Anticipated Call of Duty Mods Right Before the Finish Line
The H2M mod aimed to satisfy one of the longest-running demands of the CoD community, faithfully recreating and remastering the multiplayer experience of 2009's Modern Warfare 2. This meant a recreation of the maps, weapons, and modes of the original Modern Warfare 2, with the mod even boldly hoping to introduce some brand-new original content to the game in the way of things like weapon skins.
Work on the mod has been ongoing for years, with the demand for such a project most reaching a fever pitch following the 2020 release of Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, which gave fans a taste of a remastered MW2 but without the crucial inclusion of any multiplayer capabilities. This led to the Call of Duty community taking matters into its own hands, with the H2M mod gaining steady levels of anticipation ever since.
The H2M mod was arguably the most anticipated Call of Duty mod that has ever been made, being a reflection of just how highly demanded a MW2 multiplayer remaster is, with the team behind the mod releasing full trailers and vocally proposing a release date of August 16. Prominent names and organizations in the CoD community rallied in support of the mod in the weeks leading up to this prospective release date, with many FaZe members showing their excitement for the mod.
Activision Seemingly Profited From the H2M Mod Before Pulling the Plug
In order to have access to the H2M mod, players were required to purchase the Steam version of Modern Warfare Remastered, which saw the PC player count for the game rise from the dozens to the thousands in recent days. Crucially, Modern Warfare Remastered even went on sale in the run-up to the H2M mod's release, with many seeing this as a deliberate move on Activision's part in anticipation of a surge of players waiting for the mod.
Following this sale, years of development, and a revival of Modern Warfare Remastered's player count, Activision issued a cease and desist to the H2M team, completely killing the mod just one day before it was supposed to be released. Activision's reasons for the cease and desist seemingly relate to a desire to keep the CoD playerbase in one place, and potentially due to the alleged assets from MW2 Campaign Remastered that the H2M mod may have used. While it seemed more likely than not that the mod would face some legal backlash from Activision, the timing of the cease and desist just one day before release has understandably led to a lot of outspoken criticism against the company. Petitions have already launched demanding that Activision work with the mod team to salvage H2M, but the cease and desist has already created a serious amount of outrage, only deepening the seemingly ever-growing divide between Activision and its long-term fanbase.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 73 /100 Critics Rec: 61%
- Released
- March 31, 2020
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Beenox, Infinity Ward
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- IW
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
WHERE TO PLAY
Gear up with one of the most iconic Ghost looks from the Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 campaign mission 'The Only Easy Day… Was Yesterday' and bring it into Modern Warfare® including the free to play version, Call of Duty®: Warzone.
Relive the epic single-player Campaign from the 2009 blockbuster Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2, remastered for a new generation in true high-definition.
The Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 Campaign has been fully remastered with improved textures, animations, physically based rendering, high-dynamic range lighting, and much more.
