2019’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfareis one of the most popular multiplayer FPS games out today, but unlike other high-profile multiplayer games with active support and lively communities, it has to contend with strong competition from other titles in the same franchise. PositioningModern WarfarealongsideWarzonewas already a strange, if successful, move from Activision, but the addition ofBlack Ops: Cold Warto the mix and theconfirmation ofCoD 2021makesModern Warfare’s place in the market even more unusual.
At a time when most multiplayer games are built as live services and updated for years,Modern Warfareis receiving active support from its publisher while simultaneously being replaced.Overwatchwas released in 2016, and only recently has talk of a followup surfaced, while other competitors likeRainbow 6: SiegeandCS:GOcame out even earlier and fans haven’t even heard rumors of sequels. This wouldn’t be so odd if Activision was simply sticking to its guns with yearly releases, but the publisher is also keepingModern Warfareupdated like other live-service games, putting it in a sort of limbo.
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Activision’s Call of Duty Model
Activision has adopted a new model for theCall of Dutyfranchise that seems to be a compromise between three strategies: keeping up the yearly releases that have long madeCoDa juggernaut in the FPS market, adopting new live service models that have worked well forCoD’s competitors, and getting in on the battle royale genre withWarzone. The integration ofWarzoneandModern Warfareworked extremely well, but theaddition ofCold Warhas given rise to various doubtsabout the new model asCoD 2021approaches.
For live service games,content drops are a way to keep players investedin the same game over several years. For more traditional franchises, regular sequels have a similar effect. However, by combining the two models and addingWarzoneas a go-between for multipleCoDgames, Activision is doing something that no publisher or developer has attempted before. Typically the options are to keep a game alive or replace it, but Activision has opted to do both, putting the fanbase ofModern Warfarein an odd double bind.
In practice, the new combinedCoDmodel is an inundation of content, which is generally seen as a good thing but also has the potential to be overwhelming in the long-term. Putting out new games while still keeping old ones active runs the risk of splitting up the fanbase, while simultaneously frustrating players who just want to see their favorite title get more support. This is already happening for manyModern Warfarefans, who feel that it is superior toCold Warbut is being left behind.Modern Warfareis still a very good game, and has potentialthat some feel is going untapped in the interest of promoting its successors.
Modern Warfare’s Merits
Activision may be trying to keep the classic yearly-release model alive, but theFPS landscape has changed. Many who once bemoaned the rise of games as a service have come to recognize that when it’s done right, it can keep vibrant communities alive and benefit players in the process. As a reboot of the series, 2019’sModern Warfarewas a perfect chance to try out a more modern approach, and the game’s core fundamentals still have the potential for growth. Oddly, though, Activision’s approach has shown players the game’s potential while also denying them the long-term payoff.
Modern Warfarewas different from its predecessors, but it brought the franchise back to basics and was hailed as one of thebestCoDgames ever, especially as it got more maps and gamemodes. The movement and gunplay ofModern Warfareare rock solid, especially important since they also serve as the underpinnings ofWarzone. As more maps, weapons, events, cosmetics, and modes have come along, it has become clear thatModern Warfarecould easily have the longevity of games likeSiege,Overwatch, orCS:GOin its own right. With the resources at Activision’s disposal, it could also have more robust developer support than any of them, if the publisher were to make it a priority.
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Modern Warfare’s Strange Position
Now, though, the fate ofModern Warfareand its fanbase is something of an an unknown. Will the game be left to slowly die as new titles receive the lion’s share of developer support, or will it continue to live on in the background for those who still prefer it to more recent additions? No one knows how long it will take forModern Warfareto receive its own sequel, and many fans will likely continue to prefer its gameplay toBlack Ops' more arcade-y style andCoD 2021’s rumored World War 2 setting.
The primary reason thatModern Warfareis in this odd position is that it continues to be a strong game in and of itself. The best way to combine the live-service model with the regular-sequel model is to produce a sequel only once the current title has run its course and provided all it can offer. Simply put,Modern Warfareisn’t done yet. It is still popular and ongoing, while its publisher seems to be actively supporting games that could largely replace it.Warzone’s success means keeping it alive is an obvious choice, but focus has shifted toCold Warand evenCoD 2021whileModern Warfarehas yet to fully run its course.
BecauseModern Warfareis still good, fans still enjoy it, and manycontinue to look forward to receiving and buying more content, it doesn’t make sense to kill the game off yet. At the same time, continuing with yearlyCoDreleases means leaving it to languish in some regard. Right now, the game is in an odd state of limbo, not fully finished but being slowly left behind. Hopefully Activision can find a balance that lets players enjoyModern Warfarefor as long as possible, and avoid losing out on the potential of such a good game.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfareis out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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