It has recently been announced that CoD X Labs is ending operations. This news came after Activision sent a letter requesting that the popular Call of Duty X Labs cease operations. As a result of this letter, the development group had to abide by the order and conclude operations yesterday, May 22.
CoD’s annual release cycle makes it difficult for players to enjoy classic CoD titles again. Once a new game version is released, fans rush to try out every new feature; however, the previous version is somewhat forgotten, and players no longer log on to its servers.
Nevertheless, a few small development groups tried to keep the classic experiences alive regarding maps and the favorite weapons of many players.
However, the popular CoD X Labs mod that reintroduced beloved elements from the previous game version into the game will no longer be enjoyed.
CoD X Labs Ends Operations
After this sad news for many CoD fans, the team in charge of XLabsProject thanked the community that always supported them and commented that they were following Activision’s orders.
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
Recall that X Labs allowed players to test weapons from the past and use modding tools and even anti-cheat systems.
On the other hand, players also had access to some of Cod’s games which were off the market. Thanks to X Labs, all MW2 fans in 2009 could play online without risk, using secure servers.
However, the intellectual property of every detail of CoD belongs to Activision, so with a cease and desist letter, X Labs must stop all its operations.
Comments on the X Labs cease and desist
One of X Labs’ lead developers, Maurice Heumann, commented that they too have had to stop BOIII operations due to X Labs’ cease and desist.
We have received a Cease & Desist letter on behalf of Activision Publishing in relation to the X Labs project. Because of that, we are also going to shut down BOIII. Thank you all for your support.
— Maurice Heumann (@momo5502) May 22, 2023
On the other hand, it has not yet been confirmed what caused Activision to stop X Labs’ activities; however, it is rumored that with the possible acquisition of Activision by Microsoft, other companies may also receive such letters.
Activision’s letter to X Labs has caused a negative reaction from users. Some comment that the game’s new name should be “Call of Lawsuit: Modern Sueing Ops” or “Call of Duty: Cease and Desist.”
On the other hand, some fans of the COD community fear that this is just the beginning of a long series of legal actions against other fan-created projects.
Finally, it is important to note that Activision can send such letters as they own all CoD intellectual property.