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With just over two months to go before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 hits the stores, Activision Blizzard and Infinity Ward are ramping up the game's pre-release hype campaign with a series of multiplayer map reveals on Twitter. This is particularly important since maps are a crucial aspect of a Call of Duty's longevity, and may be the deciding factor on whether the community sticks with the game or drops it in relatively short order.
The latest of these Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 reveals features a deeper look at an all-new multiplayer level, the so-called Farm 18. The thing that makes Farm 18 particularly noteworthy is that it effectively consists of two maps combined into one combat scenario: a close-quarters-battle section in the middle, with longer-range engagements taking place on the level's periphery.
Modern Warfare 2's Farm 18 was revealed a few days back, which is exciting enough on its own, but franchise veterans may find the developers' thoughts on the level more interesting than the reveal itself. According to Geoff Smith, the multiplayer map design director of Modern Warfare 2, the team wanted to find out what would happen if they set up a map with a Shoot House-inspired central section. This led to Farm 18's interesting combination of CQB and mid-range engagements, where players can choose where they fight depending on their combat preference.
While many hope to see classic COD maps in Modern Warfare 2, new maps will make it or break it. The varying combat dynamic that seems to be present on Farm 18, in particular, could be the feature that puts MW2 above its predecessors. Developers seem to be exceedingly attentive this time around to facilitate this success, according to Ashly Thundercliffe, the senior environment artist working on the project. Thundercliffe explained the importance of good level ambiance, which needs to take into account both the level's visual realism, and how fun it is to play.
Farm 18 seems to be the polar opposite of Modern Warfare 2's Marina Bay Grand Prix level. Slick and polished, the Marina Bay sits at odds with Farm 18's cement factory setting, implying a truly huge amount of visual variety in the game's multiplayer modes. It remains to be seen, of course, whether the levels play differently from one another, but that is likely to be the case, too.
Infinity Ward revealed Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer beta launch date about a week ago, and Farm 18 is likely going to be one of the highlights of the testing phase. The beta will run for eight days in total, over the course of two weekends. Pre-order owners will have the chance to give Modern Warfare 2 a shot on September 16 and September 22, which should be enough time to get a sense of whether Farm 18 is a good map or a poor one, instead.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 releases on October 28 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.