Modern Warfare 2 family sharing feature on Steam quietly disabled by Activision

Activision's latest release, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, has just been removed from the list of Steam games that support the versatile Family Sharing feature. Steam users were reportedly allowed to share the much-anticipated first-person shooter with trusted family and friends at its launch. As per complaints, the game stopped supporting the sharing option on Valve's platform on October 31.

Fans are rather unhappy about the move, for which Activision has given no official explanation. Many regret buying the game on Steam, which is apparently the only platform alongside Battle.net where sharing isn't allowed. PlayStation and Xbox continue to support game sharing for Modern Warfare 2 through in-house solutions.

---

Fans are furious about Activision's sneaky move to remove Steam's Family Sharing option from Modern Warfare 2

Steam Family Sharing provides an easy way for players to share games with family and friends without everyone having to buy separate copies. It also gives fans the option to try an expensive game through a friend who already owns it before purchasing it themselves. While this feature is extremely helpful, it also attracts fraud that most video game companies and Steam strongly condemn.

In the absence of Activision's statement, one neutral reason behind the move could be cheating and fraud. The company may have received reports involving potential cheating and fraudulent activities, which could have led to this sudden decision. However, the pool of possible reasons is vast.

Many have accused Activision of forcing purchases through this move. Others have run into a dilemma regarding their decision to purchase the game on Steam.

While Valve's popular distribution platform supports refunds, there are certain clauses that prevent abuse. Users can apply for refunds within two weeks of purchasing the game and with less than two hours of playtime. However, many have already gone past the the two-hour window since the game's launch.

Steam has been known to offer refunds in exceptional cases, and Activision's move may fall into such a category. Some users have suggested applying for a refund anyway and seeing if Valve considers the situation.

While Activision's action towards Family Sharing in Modern Warfare 2 is certainly suspicious, the move could be related to fixing a possible bug in the game. The game has been plagued with many issues since its launch and Infinity Ward is working on fixing them with time. Nevertheless, the company should have given its community a heads-up before deciding to remove this popular feature.

As of now, players will have to wait for Activision's comments on the matter for further information. Until then, readers can apply for a refund and repurchase Modern Warfare 2 on their Xbox or PlayStation consoles, where the sharing feature still exists.