Activision has upset Call of Duty players again, but this time it is not because of a new skin, battle pass, or weapon balance change. Leaderboards and Combat Records are being permanently disabled in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III ahead of Modern Warfare 4.
The decision seems unusual because these games were released recently and players still paid for them. Modern Warfare II launched in 2022, while Modern Warfare III arrived in 2023, so many players do not see them as old releases that have reached the end of normal support.
Activision says the change is happening as it works on backend services before Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23. That explanation has left players with more questions than answers, especially because stats are one of the simplest ways fans track years of multiplayer progress.
Leaderboards and Combat Records are not just extra menus for competitive players. They hold kill counts, match records, wins, losses, weapon history, and the kind of long-term numbers that show how much time someone has spent with a game.
For many players, these stats represent the personal goals they have worked hard to achieve. Some chase better ratios, some compare records with friends, and some just like having proof of the hours they put into a game that was sold as a full release.
Losing that tracking makes Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III feel less complete. Matches may still be playable, but part of the account history around those games is being taken away without a clear replacement.
Most players understand that online games need regular maintenance and that no online service can stay available forever. The frustration comes from Activision giving a short backend-services reason without explaining why these specific features had to be cut from two recent games.
Without that explanation, the decision is much harder for players to accept. If leaderboards were causing technical issues, using too much server space, or blocking work on Modern Warfare 4, players want that said clearly instead of being left to guess.
The timing also creates the wrong impression just before the new release. Call of Duty asks players to invest in progression every year, so removing stat tracking from recent entries makes fans wonder how safe their records will be in the next game.
This announcement could have landed differently with more warning and clearer wording. Players may still have been angry, but a proper explanation would at least show respect for people who spent hundreds of hours building those records.
Activision also needs to be careful because Modern Warfare 4 is already asking fans to move into another premium release. If players believe older games can lose basic features this quickly, the next launch starts with more doubt than excitement.
The company's next update should clearly answer the questions that fans are asking right now. Players need to know whether older Call of Duty features are at risk, why Combat Records could not stay, and how long Modern Warfare 4 will protect the stats people build there.
