An emphasis on realism returns to the long-running shooter series.
Developer Infinity Ward and publisher Activision have announced 2019’s Call of Duty game, which is called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Yes, it’s a reboot of the 2007 classic Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (as had been rumored), not a Modern Warfare remaster, prequel, remake, or sequel.
What is the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reboot?
The new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will feature returning characters like Captain Price in a new “ripped from the headlines” single-player campaign. It will also include a suite of PvP multiplayer modes, as series tradition dictates, as well as “an all-new cooperative play mode, featuring a collection of strategic co-op missions.” The original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) did already receive a remaster in the appropriately-titled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (2016). So once again, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) is a new, completely different game — albeit with a similar title. Here are the three different games:
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) — The original.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (2016) — The remaster.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) — The reboot.
What is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s Release Date?
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be released on October 25. Activision has confirmed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will feature cross-play, will not have a season pass, and is being developed in a brand new engine. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare preorder information is now available.
“This project is different [than Infinity Ward’s previous Call of Duty games],” studio head Dave Stohl told IGN. “It’s a real passion project for the studio.” He added that the team is pivoting away from the futuristic, sci-fi tilt that Call of Duty games (outside of 2017’s Call of Duty: WWII) have taken on in recent years, and returning it to its more realistic roots. “This is a military sim. It’s more about that kind of authentic experience.” Don’t miss our first-look preview at the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare campaign, which looks set to be at least as provocative as the controversial “No Russian” mission in 2009’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. We also spoke to the developers about the decision to reboot Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Will There Be a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season Pass?
Of particular note is that the new Modern Warfare will not feature a traditional season pass, so that, as Activision notes, “the team can deliver more free maps and content as well as post-launch events to all players.” Cross-play is also supported: “With the launch of Modern Warfare, the team is taking steps to unite the community,” Activision added. “First, the team plans for Modern Warfare to be played together across PC and console through cross-play support.” The PC version will be “fully optimized” for PC and available through Blizzard’s Battle.net.
Infinity Ward was famously shaken by scandal and a lawsuit in 2010 when studio heads and co-founders Vince Zampella and Jason West were fired by Activision due to an alleged breach of contract. They sued Activision over unpaid royalties and eventually settled before founding a new studio, Respawn Entertainment, also in 2010, and hiring a number of their former Infinity Ward colleagues. Fast-forward to today and a number of original Modern Warfare developers are now back at Infinity Ward and working on this new Modern Warfare, including art director Joel Emslie, animation director Mark Grigsby, and audio director Stephen Miller, among others. Meanwhile, the project is headed by Jacob Minkoff and Taylor Kurosaki, both formerly of Naughty Dog. Since the shakeup, Infinity Ward has developed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
We’ll have much more on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare at E3 2019. Our coverage of the show begins on Saturday, June 8. Be sure to tell us what you think the best Call of Duty games are in our poll, too.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
