The highly anticipated next installment of the Call of Duty series has been officially revealed as Modern Warfare III, set to launch on November 10. Publisher Activision recently released a captivating teaser, showcasing a mesmerizing mosaic of iconic characters from the franchise, such as Captain Price and Vladimir Makarov. Accompanied by a powerful voiceover that proclaims, “Never bury your enemies alive,” the teaser also hints at the presence of dangerous adversaries referred to as ‘heads of snakes,’ potentially alluding to the return of the notorious ultranationalist Russian Makarov, the primary antagonist of the original MW3 released in 2011. Taking the lead on the development of this sequel is Sledgehammer Games, as part of their trilogy of Modern Warfare soft reboots that commenced in 2019.
Notably, the release date for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 aligns with a previous report from May, which suggested that Activision intended to unveil the game in early August. This further indicates that the new installment continues the narrative arc established in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Initially, Activision had decided against releasing a standalone title this year, deviating from its annual release cycle and instead focusing on a ‘premium expansion’ that would encompass a campaign DLC and a classic map pack. However, as reported by Jason Schreier, a games reporter at Bloomberg, the company underwent a change of plans and ultimately decided to launch Modern Warfare III as a full-price game. While the teaser does not provide extensive details, a recent tweet from the official Call of Duty Twitter account suggests that weapons and operators from Modern Warfare 2 will carry over to the sequel.
This news is especially exciting for multiplayer enthusiasts, as it means they can retain all their unlocked rewards and purchased items from the previous game. This approach appears to offer a live-service experience, which was suggested by an Activision spokesperson in 2022, indicating that there will be regular updates with new content. The development of Call of Duty: Vanguard, the previous installment, was primarily overseen by Sledgehammer Games with additional support from Treyarch and Infinity Ward, but it was received rather poorly. Activision normally rotates between these three studios for their annual releases; however, they broke the cycle last year by postponing Treyarch’s planned title from 2023 to 2024.
Furthermore, reports suggest that Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 will offer at least two beta weekends for multiplayer testing. The first weekend will supposedly be exclusive to PlayStation, running from October 6 to October 10. It is uncertain whether Microsoft’s ongoing acquisition of Activision for a staggering $69 billion will affect this exclusive agreement, but the second beta weekend, scheduled for October 12 to October 16, is expected to include Xbox and PC players. Additionally, pre-order customers are anticipated to gain early access to the campaign, which will reportedly become available on November 2. At this stage, it remains unknown whether Modern Warfare III will fall under the $70 pricing category, but the franchise will continue to be available on PlayStation for at least ten more years.
Platform details have yet to be confirmed by Activision, however, it is expected that Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 will be released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.
