, which releases on October 25. It’s called Gunfight, and it’s a 2v2, last-man-standing mode where everyone has the same random loadouts each round. It’s part of what the developer calls “a unified narrative experience [with] progression across campaign, multiplayer, and co-op.” Here’s what we know so far:Rounds last 40 seconds each. Last team standing wins. There are no respawns. If at least one player on each team is still standing after 40 seconds (in other words — if campers try to just wait it out), a flag spawns in the middle of the map. If you can get to it and then defend it for three seconds, you’ll get a point and win the round. If nobody can defend the flag, whichever team has the most collective health wins (it should be noted that health does not regenerate in Gunfight; you’ve got a set amount of health each round, old-school style). First team to six points wins.
Gunfight doesn’t use create-a-class, because there are no perks, killstreaks, or customizations to be had. Every round spawns all four players with the same set of randomly generated weapons, i.e. one round you might all face off wielding rocket launchers and shotguns, and the next it might be sniper rifles and silenced pistols.
All the maps are very small as they’re built for 2v2 experiences. They’re so small that you can typically see at least one of your opponents when the match starts. We know of at least three maps custom-made for this mode: “King,” a warehouse interior space; “Pine,” a dense forest; and “Stack,” a desert container yard.
- King features an elevated, central platform with a block structure in the middle. In other words, plenty of cover even when you’re up there. We had a lot of success in controlling that space, though you really have to stay moving, as standing still is just asking to get flanked or snuck up on from behind. There are plenty of other little cover structures in the surrounding playing field as well.
- The forest of Pine has two elevated clubhouses of sorts on the left and ride sides of the map. Those make for good sniper lookout towers, should you happen to spawn with a sniper rifle in one of the rounds. But there are a lot of cover spots strewn about the battlefield, so you won’t have many direct lines of sight to the other side of the battlefield from ground level.
- And Stack, similarly, will have you bobbing and weaving in and around cover to try and flank your foes, but there are some cross-map sightlines here to work with. The elevated platforms on either end will allow for a good look at the whole playing field, which might be the smallest of the three maps we’ve seen so far.
In short, Gunfight is a fast-paced mode that levels the playing field by giving everyone exactly the same tools to work with. We look forward to learning more about it, as well as the rest of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare multiplayer suite, at the Multiplayer Gameplay Premiere livestream on August 1 at 10am PT/1pm ET. Stay tuned to IGN for more details!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.
