Now that Infinity Ward has clarified the situation regarding the possibility of loot boxes in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, all that remains is for the studio to detail just how in-game purchases will work in the weeks and months following the game’s launch next Friday. Or it was, because Infinity Ward did just that today.
In a message to series fans, the studio laid out a general overview of its plans for the game at launch and beyond, and how it’s trying to make it a more user-friendly Call of Duty than past titles. Amid that, it stressed again that Modern Warfare will not have anything like a loot box system for getting new weapons and items, despite what people were claiming. Instead, Modern Warfare will be borrowing from Fortnite, Apex Legends, and a growing number of games and basing its in-game economy around a seasonal Battle Pass system.
An increasingly popular trend as more games adopt a seasonal content model, Battle Passes allow players an easy way to acquire new items. These usually come in both a free version and a paid premium version. By unlocking these, players can earn Pass-specific points through normal gameplay that will go into unlocking new items at a regular pace. Best of all, typically these items are strictly cosmetic, meaning there’s no unfair advantage for players with the money to buy the full pass.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s take on the Battle Pass won’t really deviate from this standard. Players will have access to both a “Free Stream” and “Premium Stream” of content, none of which will consist of “functional content that has an impact on game balance, such as base weapons and attachments.” All that stuff is earned solely through gameplay. Furthermore, new Battle Passes will be introduced with each of Modern Warfare’s post-launch seasons, so players will always have something new to work towards unlocking.
But they won’t be able to start grinding on launch day, because Infinity Ward won’t be adding the Battle Pass system until sometime later this year. As for why, the studio explained, “First and foremost, we are all focused on making the Day One experience awesome. Second, it’s important to us that everyone who is playing Modern Warfare has the chance to work their way through the new game and unlock all the rewards that are waiting for you.”
In addition to the Battle Pass, Infinity Ward expressed its other main goals for Modern Warfare’s launch and post-launch. This includes implementing cross-play for the first time in a Call of Duty game, delivering free DLC maps and modes for all players, and ensuring all DLC sees a simultaneous release on all platforms (outside of the timed PS4-exclusive content, that is).
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be released on October 25 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Call of Duty