# Call of Duty 2: Big Red One: a native loader for the Xbox game

> Call of Duty 2: Big Red One runs on Linux and Windows through a native loader that maps the original Xbox x86 game code into a PC process and replaces Xbox platform services. Parts of the renderer, sound system and game code are rewritten as source, with function names grounded in Ghidra analysis and rewritten functions checked against the original through a comparison harness.

- Type: Case study
- Targets: Game
- Category: Independent reconstruction cases
- Relationship: Independent reconstruction project
- Sources reviewed: 2026-11-08
- Added to the catalog: 2026-11-09
- Original resource: <https://github.com/SmokeDoggy044/CoD2-BRO-Native-Loader>
- Primary source: <https://github.com/SmokeDoggy044/CoD2-BRO-Native-Loader/blob/b984ca2b2f168d333f4c5a3e8d43ebb43fcae5b3/README.md>
- Catalog page: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/cod2-bro-native-loader-case/>
- Record JSON: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/cod2-bro-native-loader-case/record.json>
- Chinese version: [简体中文](https://awesomerea.org/zh/resources/cod2-bro-native-loader-case/index.md)

## Requirements & limits

- **Prerequisites:** An owned Xbox game dump with default.xbe and its media files.
- **Prerequisites:** Linux x86 with glibc 2.30 or newer and Vulkan 1.3 with 32-bit drivers, or 64-bit Windows 10 or 11.
- **Limits:** The native loader receives bug fixes only; further rewriting continues in a separate decompilation repository.
- **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later license for the loader's own code.

## Primary sources

1. <https://github.com/SmokeDoggy044/CoD2-BRO-Native-Loader/blob/b984ca2b2f168d333f4c5a3e8d43ebb43fcae5b3/README.md>

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## About this entry

The description was reviewed against primary sources.
Original editorial content: MIT. Linked projects, papers and assets retain their own rights and licenses.