The last few months of the year are absolutely jam-packed with huge video game releases, and it all kicks off at the end of October. Along with Gotham Knights and Resident Evil Village: Gold Edition, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 rounds out the month with a particularly explosive bang and paves the way for November's onslaught of new releases. But there's still time before Modern Warfare 2 hits store shelves, and there's plenty of opportunity to learn from the current competition and take a few notes.
Overwatch 2 has had a pretty divisive launch, with server issues and fan reception being fairly mixed, but some of its systems have been tried, tested, and proven to work for years. Overwatch 2's Endorsement system, for instance, is an excellent concept, and one which other big AAA multiplayer shooters like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 could take for themselves.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Should Add Overwatch 2's Endorsement System
Overwatch 2's Endorsement system may be very simple, but it's also extremely effective. At the end of an Overwatch 2 match, right as the Play of the Game segment starts up, players can press in on the right stick of their controller. Doing so will bring up a small menu, showcasing the rest of the player's team, along with the sprites of the characters they were playing as. From here, players can select a player and award them with an Endorsement. Each player can hand out a maximum of two Endorsements per match.
On the surface, these Endorsements are simple ways to tell teammates that they've done a good job, and that their effort in the game was appreciated. But on a technical level, these Endorsements can actually benefit the receiver greatly, even rewarding them with XP boosts. The more Endorsements a player receives, the higher they'll go on Overwatch 2's Endorsement ranking system. There are currently five tiers to the system, and being on the highest tier will occasionally grant the player a substantial Battle Pass XP boost, meaning that they can progress through Battle Pass tiers faster.
This Endorsement system would be perfect for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. On a base level, receiving an Endorsement in Overwatch 2 makes the player feel good about their performance, and it encourages them to repeat that same level of effort and team-play in future matches. This is exactly what Modern Warfare 2 needs when it comes out in a few weeks' time. For this entry, Infinity Ward is trying to make Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer modes a little more team-focused, with modes like Prisoner Rescue and Knock Out heavily encouraging players to stick together as a team.
Unfortunately, sticking together as a team isn't really most Call of Duty players' MO. Rather than stay together, players will often break off from the pack pretty quickly at the start of a Modern Warfare 2 match, and engage the enemy in a series of one-on-one firefights, at least if the recent Modern Warfare 2 Beta is anything to go by. Implementing an Endorsement system like Overwatch 2's would help to encourage players to stick together, and act more like a team. This system would encourage players even more if Infinity Ward offered a similar reward system as well, whereby players could level up faster if they received more Endorsements. Alternatively, Infinity Ward could reward players directly with new skins and cosmetics that are exclusive to those that receive consistent Endorsements across matches.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launches on October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.