Activision takes down AI-made Call of Duty browser ports
Activision has taken down unofficial AI-assisted browser ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops II after issuing DMCA notices.
Activision has issued DMCA takedown notices against unofficial browser ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II, according to the developer behind the projects and reporting from XDA Developers.1
The ports, built with help from AI coding tools, recreated parts of the classic shooters in a web browser. The projects used original game assets, including maps, models and animations exported from the PC releases. The developer said the notices took both projects offline and described the action as a response to porting Call of Duty games to the browser.1
What happened to the browser ports
The Black Ops II project was presented as “Claude of Duty: Vibe Slops II”. It recreated the Hijacked multiplayer map with AI-controlled enemies, while another project recreated Kino der Toten and its Zombies mode. The associated GitHub repository remains available, although the playable versions have been taken down.1
XDA Developers also points to reporting from TechPowerUp, which published details of Activision’s DMCA action.2 The legal pressure is unsurprising: the projects used recognisable Call of Duty content rather than merely borrowing the series’ broad ideas. A browser build can be technically impressive while still relying on copyrighted material that its creator does not own.
More AI-made game ports could face notices
These takedowns arrive as AI-assisted browser ports of older games become easier to produce and share. Recent examples have included browser projects based on Halo: Combat Evolved, Super Mario 64 and Skate 3, although their legal footing differs from project to project.1
The likely next step is a cycle of forks and reuploads. Removing a project from its original page does not stop someone from copying the repository or rebuilding it under another name, but it does make hosting and distribution much harder. Developers attempting similar experiments may also choose to require users to provide their own legally obtained game files, rather than distributing extracted assets themselves.
Our opinion
This is a useful warning for the current wave of “vibe-coded” game projects: AI can make a browser port easier to assemble, but it does not make the underlying assets legal to distribute. Activision’s action also shows why a working demo is not the same thing as a publishable product. If these projects return, the safer route is to remove proprietary maps, models, animations and other game files, then build an original experience around the technical idea instead.
The result is less flashy than a one-click recreation of Black Ops II, but it is far more likely to survive its first contact with the rights holder.