One long-time fan discerned that a recently debutedCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2emblem contains a humorous reference to the firstMW2game. They subsequently took online to share their realization, having done so just asCall of Dutyremoved NickMercs' bundle following the streamer’s controversial tweets.
The originalModern Warfare 2is still considered to bea top-tierCall of Dutygame, not least because a wide variety of the series staples date back to this 2009 classic. Among many other things,Modern Warfare 2introduced emblems, which allowed fans to customize their player cards that appear during gameplay and in lobbies. The feature was well-received by the fandom, as underlined by the fact that it appeared in everyCall of Dutygame since.
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And while theCall of Dutyfranchise introduced hundreds of emblems over the last 14 years, one of its latest such stickers contains a funny reference to the game that started it all. As spotted by Reddit user RuggedTheDragon, the Hacked patch that’s part of theThrowback Audio Pack forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is actually the 10th Prestige emblem from the originalMW2. The reason for the name change stems from the fact that the 2009 emblem was impossible to obtain legitimately, so seeing a player donning this sticker was a surefire way of knowing they either hacked the game or joined a hacked session in the past.
The emblem itself was always viewable in the 2009 game’s unlockables menu, but the developers never clarified why exactly was it impossible to obtain through regular play. Prior to realizing that the sticker was out of reach of legitimate players, the fandom speculated that the emblem would require completing every Prestige Mode challenge in the game. One later rumor suggested that the emblem was intended to be a reward for an unfinished AK-47 challenge. Either way, the “Hacked” moniker attached to the emblem in theCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2reboot serves as a clever callback to those times.
As recalled by some veteran players discussing this Easter Egg on Reddit, the 10th Prestige emblem was coveted enough that it was a frequent subject of scams promising players access to hacked lobbies in exchange for Xbox gift cards circa 2010. User lifeofwatto shared a more positive experience, recalling how they ended up with the sticker after a benevolent hacker just gifted all in-game unlockables to their entire lobby out of the blue, making their 10-year-old self “very happy.”
The Throwback Audio Pack bundle was added toCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2on June 7. Much like its name suggests, the bundle centers on classic weapon sounds, although it does contain several other goodies such as the aforementioned Hacked emblem, Classic Soap operator skin, and a “Good ol' Days” loading screen. The pack arrived as part ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2Season 3, which started on May 10.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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