Activision shuts down Call of Duty X Labs fan project

Activision has axed the Call of Duty X Labs fan project, which allowed users to play older CoD FPS games safely.

Activision has recently been on the prowl for third-party software that runs its clients and engines since the publisher doesn’t recognize the good deeds of community-created mods that are made freely available to players. A significant Call of Duty mod project dubbed SM2 was shut down by the publisher five days ago, and now the publisher has targeted X Labs Project.

Activision has issued a cease and desist action, forcing the creators of popular CoD-modded client X Labs to close their operations as well. The X Labs Project was a fan-created mod that took the responsibility to preserve classic experiences for gamers who might have missed the experience of prior Call of Duty games or wish to revisit their favorite maps and weapons. Using dedicated servers and anti-cheat software, X Labs restored CoD titles like Modern Warfare 2 (2009), Ghosts, and Black Ops 3.

These games are still accessible through contemporary consoles and PC marketplaces, but they have grown to be a hot spot for hackers and modders, jeopardizing user security. Many players also claim that it is dangerous for them to replay older titles on the console since it puts their personal information in jeopardy. Treyarch even released an update for Black Ops 3 in March to address hacking issues, but it didn’t provide console users with the same level of support as X Labs Project.

Why is Activision on a hunt? 

Activision has all the rights to axe the project since it was based on the publisher’s intellectual property, which the firm was legally obligated to safeguard. There is little information, however, as to why Activision is now cracking down on community mods, even though such projects have existed for many years. Another point to take into account is that X Labs only provided mod packs, which meant that a fully installed copy of the Call of Duty game was still required for them to function.

There’s a strong chance that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision had something to do with the axing of third-party software and that more fan projects may receive similar cease-and-desist letters soon. Considering Activision’s seemingly endless search for independent projects, the Plutonium Project, one of the last significant community mods for the Call of Duty games, is also in danger. All that players can now hope for is that Activision will heed the community’s plea and either halt their search for the classic CoD games or provide some official support for them at some time in the future.

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