Activision has sent cease-and-desist letters to two makers of popular fan clients for legacy Call of Duty titles in recent weeks. The move cuts off access to the many gameplay and quality-of-life improvements brought by these clients and stops what fans say is the only safe way to play these older games without the threat of damaging hacking by opponents.

The first victim of Activision's recent efforts was SM2, a major Modern Warfare 2 modding project whose development started over two years ago . Since then, the modding group has been working on updating that seminal 2009 release with new weapons, in-game perks, a redesigned UI, new streak and progression systems, and even a recent move to a more modern game engine .

Those efforts stopped last week, though, before the mod could even release its first version. The SM2 Twitter account reported that "a team member received a Cease & Desist letter on behalf of Activision Publishing in relation to the SM2 project. We are complying with this order and shutting down all operations permanently."

Enlarge / Let's put aside the Greater Will and Golden Order for a moment and absolutely clobber one another. (credit: Bandai Namco)

Elden Ring 's map is huge and feature-packed, but it has a trio of notable colosseum-sized holes in it. As of tomorrow, those holes will be filled with a free multiplayer-focused DLC, aptly named "Colosseum Update."

The colosseums of the Lands Between have long been considered the most likely site of duel-centered DLC, as they are large, locked off to (non-modded) players, hinted at in the game lore, and the subject of some intriguing file names and alternate assets and textures . With the December 7 update, the sites in Limgrave, Leyndell, and Caelid will offer "duels, free-for-alls, and team fights," publisher Bandai Namco announced today .

The trailer says that version 1.08 will let players "join forces to fight for the Elden Ring" and shows three player characters—two of them shaded the light red typical of multiplayer summons and invasions—wandering the landscape, fighting a dragon, and finally opening the doors to a long-locked colosseum. "Then battle for glory in new PvP modes," the trailer reads, before showing battle scenes between two players, players plus their Spirit Ash summons, and then a three-on-three melee.