While they may have still sold pretty well, the last two Call of Duty entries have been met with a lukewarm reception from long-time fans of the series. Both Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Vanguard have been criticized for their slower gameplay, seemingly dated visuals, and vast array of bugs and glitches that still run rampant through each game today. Perhaps these criticisms wouldn't be so harsh if 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare wasn't met with such widespread acclaim.
When the reboot dropped just a few years ago, it was widely heralded as a return to form for the franchise, where the last few games had been met with a pretty scathing critical reception. Infinity Ward managed to bring back both fans of the old Call of Duty games, and those who had lost interest in the franchise altogether, along with some complete newcomers to the series. And now, as the Call of Duty developer cycle ticks back over to Infinity Ward, all eyes are on this year's entry, heavily rumored to be a direct sequel titled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Rumors
The current speculation around Modern Warfare 2 has reached an all-time high. It seems as though every week, or even every few days brings with it new rumors centered around Modern Warfare 2's potential release date, new modes, weapons, or returning characters. With the sheer amount of rumors, many from long-time, trustworthy sources, some Modern Warfare 2 details seem pretty set in stone, despite players not even having confirmation that the game even exists.
A few of the most prominent online rumors center around the game's campaign and story, which is allegedly going to feature some pretty familiar faces and plot elements. Just as 2019's Modern Warfare did, Modern Warfare 2 is said to be taking the general narrative and characters of the original Modern Warfare series and mixing them up a bit. 2019's Modern Warfare ended with a post-credits scene that teased the formation of the series' iconic Task Force 141 team, the same squad that players join in the original games. Amongst the folders that Captain Price lies on the table, a few key names can be spotted, including Sgt. Kyle Garrick, now named "Gaz," John "Soap" MacTavish, and Simon "Ghost" Riley.
Through Modern Warfare's integration with Warzone, a few more fan-service elements have emerged, including an antagonist named Zakhaev, along with a full look at Ghost's new visual design for this more modern and grounded series. Even disregarding the rumors, Modern Warfare 2 looks as though it's already set up for a campaign and narrative full of familiar faces and plot elements, but Infinity Ward is sure to subvert players' expectations in some form or another.
According to more rumors, the game will apparently adopt an even darker tone than its 2019 predecessor, which in itself had a few missions with extremely harrowing themes and gameplay sections. Allegedly, Infinity Ward has been working on adding even more realistic death animations to the game, including some where bodies convulse after being shot. Another key rumor is that Modern Warfare 2 will feature an online game mode very similar to Rainbow Six Siege's core mode, which will see one team attempting to complete an objective, while the opposing team tries to stop them in the act. This rumor has gotten a particular section of fans pretty excited, as Call of Duty has attempted more tactical modes in the past, with some being quite successful, like Modern Warfare's own "Gunfight" mode.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Reveal and Release Date
Of course, the only real rumor that's important right now is when the game will actually be announced and released. Thankfully, a recent leak by the incredibly reputable Tom Henderson points to the game being revealed during the Summer, with a potential release date as early as October. This rumor isn't too much of a stretch at all, as the last few Call of Duty games have all been announced during the Summer, followed by a full look in the following month or two. As for the game's eventual release date, Henderson has reportedly heard that Modern Warfare 2 might drop a month earlier than usual, hitting store shelves in October as opposed to the CoD series' usual release window of early November.
According to Henderson and his own sources, this earlier release date could be in response to Call of Duty: Vanguard's mediocre sales at launch. But while Henderson is a fairly trusted source, with many previous rumors being corroborated and proven true, fans should still remain cautious and not get their hopes up too much over the game's rumored release date.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Gameplay
At the current moment, not a lot is known about Modern Warfare 2's gameplay. But that doesn't mean fan speculation hasn't been rampant. The main public thought seems to be that Modern Warfare 2 will return to 2019's faster pace, but more grounded feel of gameplay.
Where the last two Call of Duty's have felt a little weightless and arcade-y, 2019's Modern Warfare had gameplay that felt suitably heavy when it needed to, which paired well with the game's more realistic tone and visual design. Modern Warfare's LMGs felt heavier than its pistols, and the character animations all cemented that grounded feeling.
Modern Warfare 2 is likely going to return Call of Duty to this type of grounded gameplay, offering a quicker time to kill, along with slightly increased movement speed, while also still retaining the same level of realism that was present in the 2019 game. Similarly, it wouldn't be a surprise if wall/cover mounting was kept in the game, especially if that rumored Rainbow Six Siege-inspired mode is going to be included.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's Integration with Warzone
Call of Duty: Warzone is quickly becoming one of the franchise's most controversial talking point. On one hand, Warzone brings the extremely tight gunplay of Call of Duty to the battle royale genre, and pairs extremely well with loot-based gameplay loop that the genre is known for. On the other hand, though, the sheer number of glitches, bugs, and the consistently unbalanced nature of the game is causing many Warzone fans to jump ship, even despite the new Caldera map.
According to Tom Henderson, in the same tweet that discussed Modern Warfare 2's potential release date and reveal, the upcoming sequel will continue the same tradition as the last few CoD releases, whereby the mainline entry's release coincides with a map/season change in Warzone, integrating the game's weapons and perks with the current Warzone selection.
While many Warzone fans have started expressing their interest in a standalone sequel to Warzone that focuses on just a few guns and perks and just one map, giving the developer time to stamp out bugs and keep the game balanced, the likelihood of that happening any time soon is pretty minimal. The chances are, when Modern Warfare 2 does finally release this year, Warzone will get another big update. Hopefully the game will be fixed by then.