Although the Call of Duty franchise remains incredibly popular and lucrative for Activision Blizzard, most players would agree that the past couple of releases have not lived up to the pre-launch hype. While Call of Duty: Warzone continues on strong, many fans have begun to look forward knowing that Infinity Ward is on deck for the next release. Activision confirmed the speculation by confirming that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the next game in the long-running series.
Even with the logo reveal, details have continued to be scarce outside the return of characters like Captain Price, Ghost, Gaz, and Alex. Dataminers and leakers have attempted to fill in the gaps, teasing changes and new additions to the series like a marketplace where Modern Warfare 2 players can trade and purchase various cosmetic skins. While Activision is planning a big reveal in just a few days on June 8, eagle-eyed fans have noticed that the announcement could be teasing a return to Steam.
With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 set for release in October, fans are likely expecting the game to appear on the normal suite of platforms, including Battle.net for PC players. However, following a Tweet from the official Call of Duty Twitter account regarding the June 8 reveal, the official Steam account replied with a set of eye emojis. Considering that these emojis are typically used by the internet to hint at a big reveal or announcement, it's hard to imagine what else the Steam account could be hinting at.
In fact, while this is the most concrete piece of evidence for Call of Duty to return to Steam, it isn't the first clue. Recently, fans noticed that Modern Warfare 2 artwork appeared inside of the older Call of Duty titles still available on Steam. While Activision quickly removed them, the images were captured and shared on various social media sites including the Call of Duty subReddit. The move back to Steam aligns with more and more companies that have done similar things like EA and even Microsoft. In fact, it could be related to Microsoft purchasing Activision Blizzard and eventually moving the games to popular alternative marketplaces for those who may prefer Steam.
Modern Warfare 2 would be the first Call of Duty title to appear on Valve's digital storefront in four years, as Black Ops 4 made the move to Battle.net. For PC players, this was the only place to gain access to the next few Call of Duty releases. While the move may be surprising, it'll likely be a welcomed one from PC players as Steam remains the most popular digital marketplace
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 releases on October 28.