Infinity Ward has shared new details for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as part of its Call of Duty Next event, giving players a glimpse at the new multiplayer maps, customization options, and modes in the game, including the returning co-op mode Special Ops. It is tradition, at this point, for Call of Duty to include a unique mode for players to dig into if they need a break from the cinematic campaign or tense multiplayer. As the Modern Warfare series traditionally has a more serious tone, Infinity Ward looks to keep that consistent in its third mode, which the studio teases will tie into the campaign.
As mentioned, Special Ops was announced as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's third mode as part of the Call of Duty Next, though the studio did not go into as great detail about it as the game's multiplayer. Infinity Ward's director of communication Stephanie Snowden spoke briefly about the mode, saying the co-op mode will be focused on two-player, asymmetric design which could see one player on the ground and the other providing air support. However, Snowden said this was all the studio had to share about the mode's return but hinted there would be a deeper look into the co-op mode in the near future.
Call of Duty's official website did not have much additional information to add, either, aside from hinting at how the mode fits into the rebooted Modern Warfare universe. The blog post teased Special Ops would continue the game's narrative after players completed the game's campaign and task two-player teams with exploring "large-scale hot zones."
Since the first Nazi Zombies mode in 2008's Call of Duty: World at War, it has been the norm for the series' rotating cast of developers to include a third mode. Most players would likely argue Call of Duty Zombies is the most popular as an iteration has been featured in ten Call of Duty titles since World at War, with Sledgehammer and Treyarch's Call of Duty titles featuring the mode most often while Infinity Ward has only featured it in 2016's Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
That said, the addition of Special Ops to Modern Warfare 2 may not come as a surprise to most series veterans since the mode has been a staple of Modern Warfare games since 2009's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. In its original iterations, the mode tasked two players with completing a series of objective-based challenges within an allotted amount of time. The 2019 Modern Warfare reboot added some additional narrative context as it picked up immediately after the campaign ended and tasks them with halting Al-Qatala's efforts to push into Verdansk under its new leader, Khaled Al-Asad.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is scheduled to release October 28, 2022, on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Call of Duty