Summary
Yesterday, the Modern Warfare 2 Remastered mod was shutdown for good after Activision sent the creators a Cease & Desist order. Now, in the wake of the mod’s abrupt shutdown, a formerCall of Dutydeveloper has spoken out againstActivision’sdecision to force the end of the fanmade project.
Taking to Twitter, Robert Bowling, a former creative strategist and community manager at Infinity Ward, the team behind the original Modern Warfare, criticized Activision for putting an end to the project prematurely.In his post, he wrote the following:
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.
Elsewhere,the CEO of FaZe Clan petitioned Activision that the company reconsider its decision, writing, “This is harmless fun and community building. Something we feel Call of Duty desperately needs.”
Meanwhile, the original Modern Warfare Remastered, which was a requirement for the mod in the first place,jumped to “Mostly Negative” reviews on Steam in the wake of the shutdown.
This Isn’t The First Time That Developers Have Advocated For Mods
Bowling’s opinion on the power of mods isn’t the first time that a developer shared a positive opinion on the practice.Recently, Paweł Sasko, the associate game director of Cyberpunk 2077, encouraged budding game developers to learn how to mod.
“I always advise young people when they ask how to get into the industry, ‘Go and learn how to mod,” Sasko revealed in a podcast. “There are so many toolkits, so many ways to do it, and some of the best people we have are former modders.”
Indeed, much like Infinity Ward before them, CDPR has gone on to hire several ex-modders.According to Sasko, half the team working on the quests for the Cyberpunk sequel come from a modding background.
In other words, mods can help shine light on potential talent, as well as help bring about things to a game that its creators maybe hadn’t considered. It’s unclear if Activision will reconsider its decision, though what is clear is this: mods can be a good thing and shouldn’t be demonized.
