Activision has shut down a Call of Duty fan-project almost two years in the making.
SM2, as this project was known, was a Call of Duty client based off the Modern Warfare 2 engine, complete with maps and weapons from across the series.
However, despite the evident dedication from all involved with SM2, the team has been forced to “[shut] down operations permanently”, after it received a cease and desist letter from Call of Duty publisher, Activision.
“Today, a team member received a Cease and Desist letter on behalf of Activision Publishing in relation to the SM2 project,” the SM2 team shared with its followers. “We are complying with this order… Thank you all for your support over the past two years.”
Now, all previous blog links regarding the SM2 project lead back to the announcement of its closure.
Today, a team member received a Cease & Desist letter on behalf of Activision Publishing in relation to the sm² project. We are complying with this order and shutting down all operations permanently. Thank you all for your support over the past 2 years.
— sm² (@sm2game) May 17, 2023
Towards the end of last month, the SM2 team decided to move from IW4 (which is the original Modern Warfare 2 engine) over to H1 (which is the Modern Warfare Remastered engine). This, the team stated, was “mainly for technical reasons”.
It is not clear if this switch was the straw that broke the camel’s back, or if Activision is becoming stricter with fan-made projects in light of ongoing efforts by Microsoft to purchase the company. After all, as one of the project’s followers pointed out, “SM2 has been a thing for a while now.”
Either way, I am honestly surprised the SM2 project lasted for as long as it did.
