Maybe the publisher shouldn’t follow Nintendo’s example, even though the fan project was about their most popular IP.

Call of Duty is almost 20 years old and has been a mainstream success, especially since 2007 (when Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released), and has been released every year on all platforms (Call of Duty 3 in 2006 missed out on PC!). Fan development on this IP has been rare, but the concept, called SM2, has received so much attention that Activision Blizzard has taken notice… and immediately came with the threat to stop development or face a lawsuit.

The project was started in 2021 by developers building on the 2019 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare engine with the intention of creating the best multiplayer experience in the franchise’s history. Over 100 customizable weapons, 24 perks, unique character progression systems, all across 40 iconic maps. SM2 was trying to bring the classic gameplay experience, and it quickly became popular. The publisher shut down development, even though it was supposed to be a free-to-play concept, and since the developers themselves were not making any money on Activision Blizzard’s IP, it is understandable that fans did not take kindly to the publisher’s move.

In doing so, Activision Blizzard adopted the same mentality as Nintendo (who went much further by threatening the developer of a fork of Lockpick for piracy, even though the program the only legal way to emulate our games on PC!). Nintendo stopped development of the fan-made Metroid 2 remake in 2016… and then the big N itself released one, although it’s possible the fan idea was more credible.

The cancellation of SM2 means that the gap that already existed between publisher and player has widened. If, after all this, Activision Blizzard steals SM2’s ideas, then it is fair to call out the greed and ingenuity of the gaming industry.

Source: GameRant