With Infinity Ward at the helm, it was widely expected that Call of Duty 2019 would eventually be revealed as a new entry in the Modern Warfare series. Well, today is that day… but with a twist.
Activision has officially announced that the next Call of Duty game is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and it’ll be available on October 25. This new Modern Warfare is a reboot for the sub-series, but things might get confusing as it mostly shares a title with 2016’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (which was itself a redo of 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare).
OK, it’s probably not that confusing. And rebooted games do have a history of recycling the original title (say hello to Tomb Raider, Doom, God of War, and many others). But Activision and Infinity Ward want to redefine what Modern Warfare means to fans with an immersive new Campaign that, according to the Activision Games Blog, “shines a light on the changing nature of modern war”:
The new Modern Warfare delivers an emotionally charged and intense campaign that shines a light on the changing nature of modern war. Expect a single-player experience that is edgy, culturally relevant, and thought-provoking.
Players will fight alongside a diverse cast of international special forces and freedom fighters working within the grey area of their rules of engagement, in a number of heart-pounding covert operations set throughout iconic European cities and into the volatile expanses of the Middle East.
Missions include close-quarter, stealth operations and long-range combat that puts tactical decision-making to the ultimate test.
Fans of the franchise will also be pleased to hear that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will feature a brand new engine (which supports “the latest advancements in visual engineering”) and offer full cross-play between platforms in online multiplayer and co-op modes. Activision and Infinity Ward are also eliminating the traditional Season Pass to focus on “free maps and content” and “post-launch events” for all players.
“Every design decision has been made with our players in mind,” said Patrick Kelly, the Creative Director of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. “With the launch of Modern Warfare, we’re taking steps to unite the community. First, we plan for Modern Warfare to be played together across PC and console through cross-play support. Second, we’re eliminating the traditional season pass, so that we can deliver more free maps and content as well as post-launch events to all players. This is just the beginning… there’s much more to come.”
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is currently in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The seriously-minded first trailer has been embedded above.
