X Labs Project is forcefully shutting down five days after Activision abruptly ended SM2, a sizable Call of Duty mod project. This comes as no surprise as Activision continues its crackdown on communities that modify it games.
The project took to Twitter to announce that it was shutting down as it received a “cease and desist” letter from the publisher.
Why X labs?
The publisher has recently been on the prowl for third-party software that runs its clients and engines because it disagrees with communities creating mods for free for gamers.
Some individuals said they enjoyed X Labs’ mods as they incorporated some features the developers removed from its old franchises. These characteristics include dedicated servers, better security, anti-cheat, and mod tools.
There are several speculations as to why Activision is cracking down on community mods. However, it failed to make an official statement to this effect. Nonetheless, the publisher has the right to defend its assets and prevent any third party from profiting from this project.
Following Activision’s cease-and-desist letter, Maurice Heumann, the project’s primary developer, tweeted: “We get a stop-and-desist letter courtesy of Activision Publishing with regard to the X Labs project. We will also terminate BOIII as a result of this. I appreciate your support, everyone.
Ghosts, Modern Warfare 2 (2009), Advanced Warfare, and Black Ops III are customers of The X Labs Project. Even after the developers and Activision quit helping them, community modders went on to do so and add new content. The interruption allows the games to maintain an active player base, which is may decrease with the most recent shutdown.
One of the last important community mods for the Call of Duty games, the Plutonium Project, is still accessible to users. However, it carries some danger because it appears that Activision is removing independent initiatives one at a time. If the publishers decide to send the modders a cease-and-desist letter, the project’s clients for Black Ops, Black Ops II, Modern Warfare 3, and World at War may no longer be able to be launched.
