Sledgehammer Games and Activision today lifted the lid on the latest entry in the Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.
For the first time ever, 2023’s Call of Duty title will be a direct sequel to the previous game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III serves as a direct sequel to Modern Warfare II, though with Sledgehammer Games as the lead developer instead of Infinity Ward. Like all previous Call of Duty titles, Modern Warfare III will launch with three core modes; campaign, multiplayer, and a co-op mode.
Starting off with the campaign, Modern Warfare III picks up after the events of Modern Warfare II. In this entry, Captain Price and Task Force 141 go up against Vladimir Makarov in an attempt to stop him from igniting a new world war. This campaign has been built with a focus on providing player agency. While the series' signature and bombastic level design returns, the campaign also introduces Open Combat Missions. In these, players are provided the freedom to customize their loadouts and gadgets to fit their playstyle. Players are provided a sizable landscape to approach the objective.
Hopping over to multiplayer, Modern Warfare III will launch with 6v6 sixteen multiplayer maps remastered from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009). These maps are Afghan, Derail, Estate, Favela, Karachi, Highrise, Invasion, Quarry, Rundown, Rust, Scrapyard, Skidrow, Sub Base, Terminal, Underpass, and Wasteland. While some of these maps are in Al Mazrah, the Modern Warfare III incarnations are built from scratch to better emulate their original looks and feels. While exciting to get these maps back, they do come with a major downside. Modern Warfare III will launch with no brand new multiplayer maps. New 6v6 content won’t come until post-launch with Sledgehammer promising 12 new maps. The will launch with new Big Game Mode content though. There will be three new Battle Maps to support Ground War and Invasion, and a single War map, the return of the fan-favorite game mode from Call of Duty: WWII.
In terms of multiplayer features, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III walks back many of Infinity Ward’s controversial design decisions. This includes the return of Map Voting, red dots on the mini-map, a more traditional perk system, Ninja/Dead Silence as a perk, slide canceling, reload canceling, and an increase to core multiplayer health (100 to 150). Of course, that’s not to say Modern Warfare III isn’t introducing any new mechanics. Tac-Stance is a new middle-ground between hip-firing and aiming down the sights that’s perfect for tight hallways and cramped rooms. It combines speed from hip firing and accuracy from aiming to provide a new style of combat. Other new features include a gear system based around military equipment and the After-Market Parts system, which opens new progression paths for your weapons.
Finally, for the first time in franchise history, Zombies will be available in a Modern Warfare game. Developed by Treyarch, this Zombies experience will be based off Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Outbreak mode. You’ll undertake missions across different regions as you attempt to push back against the undead invasion. Expect to hear more about the mode as head towards launch.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III launches November 10 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
