Activision threatens legal action against CoD player sharing access to old version of Verdansk

Warzone‘s first and most popular map Verdansk hasn’t been seen in Call of Duty for years and were silently hoping Warzone 2 would bring the beloved map back. However, with it absent from the sequel, some have taken it upon themselves to experience the map through unofficial means—and Activision isn’t pleased.

Popular CoD dataminer HeyImAlaix revealed Activision had issued them a cease and desist letter on Sept. 16, instructing them to abandon their Verdansk revival project or face legal action. Activision has accused the dataminer of creating and distributing pirated and cracked versions of 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

“Alexis, it has come to our attention that you have been advertising and distributing a recently cracked version of MW2019,” read the message, which went on to include claims that the dataminer was also distributing a cracked version of 2020’s Black Ops: Cold War.

The message was received after HeyImAlaix revealed significant progress had been made in making older versions of Warzone and Verdansk available to players in August. They recently shared an image showing a private Warzone lobby with the Verdansk map selected, which garnered attention from avid CoD fans eager to play the classic map.

This is not the first time HeyImAlaix has been contacted by Activision regarding unofficial builds of its games. An excerpt of the Activision statement shared by the user revealed this to be the third time the company had reached out to them regarding “unlawful conduct in connection with the Call of Duty games.”

Activision claimed the cease and desist was sent out to “preserve and protect Call of Duty, and the incredibly talented developers who create it, from unauthorized use.” This was met with criticism as players argued offline builds and experimentation cannot cause meaningful harm.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) is just around the corner, and it’s unclear if Activision is planning to bring Verdansk back with any new Warzone updates. Their behavior regarding older builds of the map might indicate their future plans, and seeing as how they are bringing back maps from older titles, the notion may not be so unlikely.

At any rate, fans will have to wait a bit longer to see what Activision has in store, as unofficial channels seem to be losing ground against the company.