On Steam, a years-old Call of Duty is currently experiencing a second spring and is among the top sellers on the platform. But what’s behind it?
What’s behind the sudden success? On Steam, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (2017) is currently one of the best-selling games. In the platform’s top seller list, the shooter is currently ranked 7th – even ahead of the upcoming Black Ops 6 (as of August 13, 2024, 11:30 AM via Steam).
This sudden success is thanks to a free mod called “H2M” that is set to be released on August 16. The mod aims to recreate the multiplayer experience of CoD MW2 (2009).
In order to play the “H2M” mod, you must own Modern Warfare Remastered (MWR) on Steam, as the mod is based on the shooter. MW Remastered originally released in 2016 in a bundle with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare but was then released as a standalone version in 2017.
The next CoD, Black Ops 6, will be released in October. Here is the trailer:
Reinvented MW2
What kind of mod is this? Modern Warfare 2 from 2009 is one of the most popular CoDs of all time and ranked number 1 as the best CoD of all time in a survey on MeinMMO.
“H2M” aims to bring back to CoD fans exactly the feeling, exactly the multiplayer experience they loved about MW2. To achieve this, the developers of the mod have come up with a few special features:
- You can play all maps from Modern Warfare Remastered (that you own) as well as all maps from the original MW2 multiplayer. There should be over 50 maps available at launch.
- There are weapons, attachments, perks, and killstreaks from MW2.
- There are 10 prestige levels with 70 ranks each. Once players reach prestige level 10, they can play up to level 1,000.
- There are classic camos from MW2 that can be earned, as well as new skins. The same applies to the emblems.
- Some of the new camos are reportedly specially animated, according to the developers.
Here is the mod’s website, where you can also find the download:
- MW2 mod via h2m-mod.dev
So should you buy MW Remastered now? No, probably not. Even if the mod sounds really interesting and could have some active players, it is an unofficial modification of a CoD. There is a strong chance that Activision will shut down the mod, as the developers of the mod did not purchase a license for the used content.
Other players who are interested in the mod also express concerns for this reason:
- “Activision is holding back at the moment to secure the MWR sales on Steam, only to take down the mod again after its release.” (via X.com)
- “Don’t buy MWR on Steam for the ‘MW2 Remastered’ mod. The mod will surely be taken down.” (via Reddit)
In the past, Activision has taken action against similar projects and had them removed. So if you buy MWR now because you want to play the mod, you should be aware of the risk that the mod may only be playable for a few days or weeks. After all, MWR is currently on sale on Steam and available for just under 20 euros.
A major topic of discussion in modern CoDs is the so-called SBMM. This did not exist in its current form in the original MW2. Activision recently released their findings from a test in which they secretly disabled SBMM for some players: In Call of Duty, everyone complains about the exhausting matchmaking – Activision secretly reduced it and now explains how the test went
