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Classic MW2 multiplayer mod shut down by Activision day before launch

A mod for Modern Warfare Remastered that would have reimagined the iconic multiplayer action from 2009's Modern Warfare 2 has been shelved.

MW2 multiplayer mod: The desert camo soldier from the front cover of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

If you were to ask veteran Call of Duty players what the best game in the series’ long history is, I’d put money on the most popular answer being MW2. No, not the mediocre reboot that came out a couple of years ago, I’m talking about the original from 2009. Its multiplayer is particularly etched into the memories of millions of CoD fans, and an ambitious new mod was about to revive it. However, just 24 hours before it was set to be released, the team behind the mod has revealed it will never see the light of day because Activision has sent them a cease and desist order.

The mod in question is called H2 and it essentially remakes the multiplayer experience from the original Modern Warfare 2 inside the PC version of Call of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered. I know that seems a little bit confusing, but MW Remastered already has online multiplayer support to build upon. On top of recreating all the original MW2 maps, H2 was also going to incorporate all of the maps from Modern Warfare Remastered and create some unique new maps using its assets. The FPS game‘s mod would also introduce a fresh progression system, dynamic camos, and much more.

Fans have been incredibly excited for this mod – sales for Modern Warfare Remastered have spiked on Steam, and its player count has risen to its highest point since it launched. The H2 mod had already been played by some members of the community (you can check out a video from ‘Inkslasher’ below which shows off the gameplay), but it was set to be unleashed to the public on Friday August 16. However, today, August 15, the development team behind it broke some very bad news.

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“Today, our team members received a Cease & Desist order on behalf of Activision Publishing in relation to the H2M-Mod project. We are complying with this order and shutting down all operations immediately and permanently.” The H2 website has now disappeared, its bio on X now reads “shutdown”, and the mod will no longer be released.

This is disappointing, but not all that surprising. Activision has a track record of shutting down Call of Duty mod projects – just last year, it sent a cease and desist to the creators of an equally-ambitious MW2 mod known as SM2. Despite the H2 mod actually resulting in an uplift in sales for Modern Warfare Remastered, which many hoped would see Activision be more lenient this time around, there was a very high chance that this outcome would happen.

It is also possible to still experience the original MW2’s multiplayer on PC, so there’s even more of an incentive on Activision’s end to shut down a project that remakes it in a different game. The most recently-released CoD, Modern Warfare 3, is also stuffed with remastered MW2 maps in its popular multiplayer.

Despite there being official avenues to experience MW2 multiplayer, and despite the incredibly high risk of your project getting shut down, these kinds of mods prove that there is an appetite to properly remaster the multiplayer action from the 2009 hit. The campaign was bestowed that honor in 2020, but not the online play.

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As a consolation for this disappointing news, here are some great multiplayer games you can play right now. Also be sure to check out everything we know about the next Call of Duty game ahead of the Black Ops 6 release date.

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