Something to look forward to: Activision has finally pulled back the curtain on Infinity Ward's latest Call of Duty game, confirming prior reports regarding its setting and platform availability. As the franchise takes ripped-from-the-headlines storytelling to a new level, Modern Warfare 4 promises higher technical specifications, a revamped movement system, the return of DMZ mode, and more.
Pre-orders are now open for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, not to be confused with the seminal 2007 title, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The next entry in the best-selling first-person shooter franchise will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, Battle.net, Steam, and Nintendo Switch 2 on October 23.
As Call of Duty drops support for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Modern Warfare 4 will introduce larger environments, increased reactivity, and more consistent performance. On PC, all gameplay modes will feature ray-traced reflections, ambient occlusion, shadows, and volumetrics. Players should expect higher system requirements compared to prior entries.
Call of Duty: Warzone will also no longer be playable on the older consoles when Modern Warfare 4 launches. The free-to-play battle royale mode will no longer be downloadable on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One from June 4, and the in-game store will be deactivated on those platforms on June 25.
Following the controversial co-op-only campaign from last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which lacked a pause function, Modern Warfare 4 returns to a more traditional story mode with potentially its most controversial setting in years. Players will switch back and forth between a South Korean soldier amid renewed hostilities on the Korean Peninsula, and franchise hero Captain Price in another series of globetrotting missions.
Call of Duty has never been afraid of controversy or ripping themes from the headlines. The Modern Warfare campaigns in particular mostly consist of thinly veiled allusions to recent and ongoing conflicts involving Iraq, Iran, Russia, Mexico, the US, and other countries.
Infinity Ward recently told The Washington Post that it chose Korea due to the franchise's relative lack of Asian settings and the rising influence of Korean culture. The studio consulted its own Korean employees, North Korean defectors, and regional specialists. Still, focusing on such a politically charged setting could draw renewed attention to the boycott of Infinity Ward and Activision's parent company, Microsoft, over its involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Modern Warfare 4 will launch with 12 multiplayer maps, plus dedicated levels for its Gunfight and Big War modes. Meanwhile, the Kill Block mode introduces a map that changes between rounds, and Call of Duty's extraction mode, DMZ, will return.
Additionally, an optional new prestige system allows players to restart multiplayer progression from level 1 without resetting Create-a-Class customization. Infinity Ward has also revamped movement and weapon handling in multiplayer, removing bloom, making recoil more consistent, and expanding options for climbing and jumping.
Expect more information about multiplayer, including details on the upcoming open beta, to emerge in the coming months.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 confirmed for October 23, brings the series to Korea
