The recently released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has a lot of content for players to enjoy across its core multiplayer and free-to-play modes. Despite this, the post-launch gameplay formula of the title relies upon consistent seasonal content updates, with many understandably looking forward to the upcoming Season 2 for the game.
However, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 community has been voicing its disapproval of the recent news that Season 2 of the title will be delayed, launching a full two weeks after its originally slated date. While a negative reaction to the news of a delay to such a hotly anticipated update is completely understandable, it may be true that a delay will be much more beneficial for the game and its player base in the long run.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's Season 2 Delay
With the battle pass formula of monetization becoming the growing industry standard for online video games, it is no wonder that Call of Duty has followed suit in recent years. Each new battle pass arrives in a seasonal in-game update, which brings ew content to revitalize the meta of the game's online experience.
Season 2 of Modern Warfare 2 is set to launch in tandem with Season 2 of Warzone 2 and promises lots of content, which has made its delay so deflating to many fans. For example, Season 2 is set to bring the smaller-scale Resurgence mode back to Warzone 2 which will come with a brand-new map, as well as things like ranked play, new weapons, new maps, and new game modes for the core multiplayer of MW2.
With Modern Warfare 2's Season 2 now releasing on February 15 instead of February 1, fans will have to wait significantly longer to experience these sweeping changes in-game. This has only added fuel to the fire for many fans who have long been demanding changes to the title, but the reasoning behind the delays could mean that players will be much more satisfied upon the eventual launch of Season 2.
Why MW2's Season 2 Delay Could Be Beneficial
While delays are always a frustrating prospect from a consumer perspective, they are getting more common in the video game industry. It isn't a good look for a high-profile and high-sales game like Modern Warfare 2 to announce a delay to its second seasonal update, especially so close to the original intended release date of February 1, but it is important to remember that such a decision would not have been made lightly.
Call of Duty announced through its official channels that the season was delayed because the developers are implementing several changes based on community feedback, which will take longer to put in place than what was originally intended. Fans have been very vocal in their criticisms of MW2 and Warzone 2 since the launch of the titles, with the likes of Warzone 2's new 2v2 Gulag system being a huge point of controversy in particular. The classic 1v1 Warzone Gulag experience is returning in Season 2, and very well could have been one of the last-minute implementations that required the notorious delay.
This ethos will also be applied to Modern Warfare 2's core multiplayer. Changes to weapon tuning and perk balancing are directly influenced by community feedback. While a case can still be made that Activision should have acted upon this community feedback sooner, a two-week delay for Season 2 can be forgiven if it fosters content that is much more reflective of what the CoD community wants to see.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.