Activision unleashes a shitstorm in the CoD community with a wave of warnings, forcing players onto hacker-infested servers.
Activision isn’t exactly known for being particularly caring with its players, but this action is too much even for hardcore CoD fans. If you were planning on playing an old CoD title again, you’d better have your firewall up to date.
Hackers on every corner
Do you ever long for simpler times without store bundles, meta weapons and hundreds of attachments in Call of Duty? Maybe it’s time to install classics like Modern Warfare 2 (2009), BlackOps 3 or Ghosts and let off some steam online.
Too bad that the fun nostalgia can quickly turn into the opposite, because hackers lurk around every corner on the official servers.
Unlike in Warzone 2 and MW2, I don’t mean cheaters this time, but actual hackers who want to gain access to your system via the unsecured servers.
Activision just effectively killed any chance for players to enjoy Modern Warfare 2, Ghosts, Advanced Warfare and Black Ops 3 online ever again.
Please do not play any of these titles online, you will be putting yourself and your PC at risk on the original servers for them. pic.twitter.com/oVoEF3ywgx
– ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone) May 22, 2023
CoD expert ModernWarzone already warned on Twitter not to play on the official servers. Contrary to what one might expect, not only PC players are affected by the problem, but also console users.
For the partly still very active communities of Modern Warfare 2 (2009) or BlackOps 3, there is currently no possibility to play online safely.
All-out attack against the community
The insecure servers have been an issue for a long time, but why has it only become a problem now? Activision started issuing warnings to CoD fan projects like sm² or X Labs on 17 May, forcing them to abandon their work, some of which had been going on for years
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. Thank you all for your support over the years.
– X Labs (@XLabsProject) May 22, 2023
The projects, which were often financed by donations, used to provide the community with secure servers and sometimes even developed the old games further.
Shortly after the fan projects were warned, however, their servers went offline and forced the players back onto Activision’s official, but less secure servers.
Since then, various users have reported incidents in which hackers have gained access to their systems while they were playing.
Activision just effectively killed any chance for players to enjoy Modern Warfare 2, Ghosts, Advanced Warfare and Black Ops 3 online ever again.
Please do not play any of these titles online, you will be putting yourself and your PC at risk on the original servers for them. pic.twitter.com/oVoEF3ywgx
– ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone) May 22, 2023
Uncomprehension and anger
Even though Activision is legally in the right, this currently leaves the community with no choice but to stop playing the old CoD titles altogether or risk being hacked. Not good options for most players.
The lack of understanding for the wave of warnings is therefore great, after all Activision has not earned any money with titles like Modern Warfare 2 (2009) or BlackOps 3 in the last few years and has not invested any resources in the security of the servers.
Under the hashtag FuckActivision angry fans are currently gathering on Twitter and giving free rein to their frustration. On Reddit Activision’s action is also making waves and many are debating whether this is the final nail in the coffin for the CoD franchise, which has fallen more and more into disrepute over the years.
After sm² and X Labs have already been hit, many fans now fear that the last big mod “Plutonium Project” will soon be warned off and discontinued. If this actually happens, it would also finally bring the curtain down on Black Ops 1, Black Ops 2, Modern Warfare 3 and World at War.
