Activision, the publisher behindCall of Duty:Modern Warfare, has issued a subpoena for the internet forum Reddit under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA. The purpose behind this subpoena is to uncover the identity of a leaker who released unannounced information regardingModern Warfare’supcoming battle royale game mode, Warzone.
The leak in question occurred when a user going by the name Assyrian2410 posted an image totheModern Warfaresubreddit, which Activision claims infringed on its copyrights. The post, titled “I found this image online, not sure what it is,” was itself removed from r/modernwarfare, and Assyrian has since deleted their Reddit account.
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This was by no means the only leak regardingModern Warfare’stake on the battle royale formula. Despite not being officially confirmed by Activision, the existence of Warzone is already well known among theCall of Dutycommunity, largely due to the many leaks and rumors which have showcased not only its general concept and promotional material, but some of the mode’s exact specifications. For example, multiple players have already been able toglitch themselves into Warzone’s mapand menus, which is how the name Warzone was discovered in the first place. Ironically, evidence of the game mode is only further strengthened by Activision’s decision to issue a subpoena.
Despite the leaked image’s title indicating that the poster simply discovered the offendingWarzone contentonline, Activision’s willingness to subpoena a major tech company seems to indicate a strong possibility of it taking legal action against the alleged leaker. This is further evidenced by the general rarity of the DMCA’s ability to subpoena.
Whether the courts will grantActivision’s request, which was filed on the 14th, and whether Reddit will actually be able to track down the identity of its user are both unknown at this point in time. It’s important to note that, generally speaking, Reddit has taken a strong stance on protecting its users' anonymity and free speech.
Currently, since the mode itself is technically unconfirmed by Activision, Warzone has no official release date. However, leaks currently point to the mode releasing in March. If that is indeed true, than many ofthe rumors floating around theModern Warfaregame modemay very well be confirmed or denied rather soon.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfareis currently available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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