Diablo II: Resurrected alpha test mods reportedly pulled, modders sent cease-and-desist letters

Several Diablo II: Resurrected alpha test modders had their work pulled from the internet and were sent cease-and-desist letters from Blizzard, according to a report by Kotaku.

The modders found ways to crack into Diablo II: Resurrected and find multiplayer modes, classes that were unavailable in the alpha test, and, according to the report, they were generally able to do whatever they wanted.

“Classic Diablo II and its mods will continue to exist and we’re going to do our best to continue to support the mods for Diablo II: Resurrected as well,” Blizzard said to Kotaku in a statement. “That said, some mods are atypical and pose security threats to our games. Security has always been a top priority for us and programs that could pose major security issues will not be tolerated.”

The modders had been allegedly able to crack the game so wide open that anyone could play it. Blizzard reportedly sent a private investigator to the house of one of the modders. The two modders Kotaku interviewed were both sent cease-and-desist letters from Blizzard and one said the terms included clauses that prevented him from creating mods ever again.

The community mods were a massive part of the success of early-era Blizzard games. Several mods of Valve titles became franchises of their own and the entire MOBA genre was birthed in modding. Security concerns are one thing, but attempting to block all future modders is another.