Game Overview:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a first person shooter developed by Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch, among a number of other Activision studios.
It is a direct sequel to 2022’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and the third instalment in the rebooted Modern Warfare series.
That would make Call of Duty the second-highest selling video game franchise of all time, second only to Mario.
The first-person shooter saw a peak of over 306,000 concurrent players on Steam over its first weekend, surpassing Modern Warfare 2 and 3's launch numbers.
All three first-person shooter titles will be available via Xbox Cloud Gaming via Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions starting later this month.
Sledgehammer Games' 2023 reboot is the first title in the Call of Duty franchise added to Microsoft's game subscription service.
Microsoft has officially announced that the first-person shooter will become available to Game Pass subscribers imminently, as leaks suggested.
The megaton first-person shooter could become available to Game Pass subscribers later this week.
The first-person shooter will arrive for the service in the latter half of July, with a potential announcement today, it's been claimed.
The number of suspicious Call of Duty accounts over the weekend might even have been higher owing to the recent free trial.
Players can now get a taste for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer modes and Zombies for free over the weekend.
Call of Duty: Warzone players will be able to queue up as quad teams to face off against bots in the new Bootcamp mode.
Sledgehammer Games is one of several studios across Microsoft's entire gaming division to be affected by widespread layoffs.
PlayStation's downloads in 2023 were seemingly dominated by Hogwarts Legacy, Call of Duty, and a series of sports games.
Activision's shooter was the best-selling game of the month in the US, while both PS5 and Xbox enjoyed year-on-year sales increases.
"In my first month it came out he threatened to have an employee killed," says former Demonware developer Christina Pollock.
The next title in the reboot saga is allegedly "already well into development", with Modern Warfare 3 reportedly doing well.
It's now the second best-selling game of 2023 year-to-date, with Call of Duty HQ ranking second in monthly active users.
The voice actor for Kratos joked that his speech during last year's Game Awards was longer than Modern Warfare 3's campaign.
While DMZ is still playable in Call of Duty, its progression is entirely cut off from Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone.
Four new multiplayer maps and the return of Gunfight kick off the season on December 6th, with new modes and Ranked Play coming later.
After a below-average reception from fans and critics, Activision's latest sequel in the series has been discounted on consoles.
The "Snaking" exploit is only available for keyboard and mouse users, but cross-platform play means console players are also affected.
Is it time for Call of Duty to move on?
Sledgehammer's controversial sequel has racked up more hours per player than Modern Warfare (2019) and Modern Warfare 2 (2022).
Not even a surprisingly good Zombies mode can save this year's Call of Duty from its miserable Campaign and multiplayer issues.
The only Call of Duty game with a lower score than Modern Warfare 3 is 2012's PS Vita title, Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified.
Meanwhile, Quarry, Rundown, and Scrapyard are removed from the Hardpoint playlist while Sledgehammer investigates "unfavorable spawns."
Meanwhile, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is pushed down to No. 3, while Football Manager 2024 debuts in fifth place.
Most physical sales were on PS5 at 72 percent, while Xbox constituted 20 percent and the PS4 version contributed eight percent.
"We have worked hard to deliver on this vision which has been years in the making. Anything said to the contrary is simply not true," Sledgehammer writes.
After the Campaign launched in early access for pre-orders, Multiplayer and Zombies are now live worldwide for all players.
However, those plans were shelved when the studio was informed that it would instead be working on Modern Warfare 3.
Planned as an expansion to Modern Warfare (2022) set in Mexico, it was rebooted last Summer by Activision to be a direct sequel.
The verdict is out - the newest Call of Duty campaign is an utter mess. Find out why and how this could have happened here.
Though there's plenty to like about Call of Duty games, at the same time, there's also no shortage of issues to find with how the series operates.
According to reports, Modern Warfare 3 was originally planned as paid DLC for last year's game, before being spun off into its own game.
Pre-orders can experience the campaign, including the new Open Combat missions, over a week before the game's worldwide launch.
The upcoming shooter's Trophies will come in the form of a DLC Trophy list for last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Sledgehammer Games' sequel to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) certainly looks like a video game. Here's what you should know.
PC pre-purchases can pre-load the Campaign on November 1st, while Multiplayer and Zombies can be pre-loaded starting November 8th.
A solid-state drive, network connection and Windows 10 64-bit with the latest update are also mandatory for all configurations.
The PC version offers Nvidia DLSS 3, Reflex, and RTX support with over 500 customization options and RICOCHET Anti-Cheat.
Sledgehammer Games also promises improvements for the second weekend of the multiplayer beta, which starts October 12th for pre-orders.
Activision Blizzard has stated that it will start working with Microsoft to bring games to the subscription service next year.
Called Lockpick, the operator will available to PlayStation 5 and 4 players who pre-order the game.
Players can extra weapons like the Ray Gun and use them in future matches, or discover blueprints for crafting Perk Colas before dropping in.
The first official gameplay trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's new and expanded Zombies mode is here.
The latest title in the Call of Duty series launches on November 10th for consoles and PC, but two open beta weekends are coming first.
Turn a handgun into a Carbine-style SMG and a light machine gun into a bullpup for running and gunning with Aftermarket Parts.
Dark Aether returns, causing a new zombie outbreak, and it's up to Task Force 141 and some brand-new Operators to stop it.
The development team relied on variable-rate shading and runtime systems for better enemy visibility while retaining the maps' feel.
Players start with a loadout and can decide their approach, finding loot to add to their Arsenal. Enemies will also adapt to your tactics.
The multiplayer beta is confirmed to go live on October 6th, with more details on the mode coming in the next Call of Duty Next showcase.
The first person shooter is set to launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on November 10.
Call of Duty narrative director Brian Bloom has said the Modern Warfare subseries will continue to get new instalments beyond the upcoming Modern Warfare 3.
Campaign development is in partnership with Infinity Ward. Sledgehammer is also "working closely" with Treyarch on Zombies.
Developed by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games, it promises the "largest Call of Duty Zombies map ever" with the biggest enemies yet.
A new close-quarters Tac-Stance and Perks at the beginning of matches also confirmed ,with 12 new core maps coming post-launch.
The newest title in the series launches on November 10th worldwide and is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, Xbox One and PS4.
The Vault Edition includes the Nemesis Operator Pack with four Operator skins, the Season 1 Battle Pass, beta early access, and more.
The sequel also includes a new Tac-Stance Movement, a new Perk system, and After-Market Parts for Gunsmith customization.
The hub will support Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 3, and Warzone, allowing players to access all their content in one place.
Activision seems to be teasing the return of the fan-favourite mode in this year's Call of Duty instalment.
Following up on previous rumours of nearly all maps from the 2009 title carrying over, a Twitter leaker also claims map voting will return.
A "deep dive" into the sequel's code alleges the upcoming beta codes are "basically last year's game codes, just reissued."
Activision reaffirms that this year's Call of Duty is a "premium release" and that it will be "priced accordingly" at $70.
Reports indicate that the beta will run from October 6th to 10th for PS4 and PS5 and October 12th to 16th for Xbox and PC.
Recent confusion has been cleared up, with Activision confirming that the upcoming first person shooter will indeed be fully cross-gen.
The first person shooter's Xbox Store listing only mentions Xbox Series X/S as its target platform, indicating that it might not be coming to Xbox One.
The Steam page lists Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, Beenox, Raven Software, High Moon Studios, Demonware and Treyarch.
Activision has stated that equipment for which the skins are being carried forward between the two games has to exist in the new game.
Activision has released a new trailer for the recently-announced shooter. Though primarily live action, it also showcases brief snippets of in-game footage.
Launch platforms haven't been announced, but Captains Price and MacTavish return, with the former teasing a major new threat.
After joking about key art, the official Call of Duty Twitter said, "We’ll share our artistic abilities and even more next week."
A recent update made to Sledgehammer's Twitter profile seems to align with the leaked logo for this year's Call of Duty.
The allegedly leaked promotional image of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 features Captain Price next to cans of Monster Energy.
Reports have previously claimed that the game, which is being developed primarily by Sledgehammer, was originally supposed to be paid DLC for Modern Warfare 2.
Other Activision franchises like Overwatch, Diablo, Crash Bandicoot, and more aren't guaranteed to release for PlayStation in the future.
"We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games," says Xbox boss Phil Spencer.
An official reveal for this year's Call of Duty announcement could be around the corner, with a demo of the shooter being shown off to NBA stars behind-closed-doors.
Previous reports stated that the game would be a follow-up to Modern Warfare 2, but was unlikely to be called Modern Warfare 3.
Reports have claimed this year's Call of Duty instalment is a follow-up to Modern Warfare 2, with Sledgehammer Games developing the shooter.
The shooter will carry over maps and modes from the 2022 instalment, while also introducing its own new single player and multiplayer content, a new report has claimed.
New report claims the project initially started as paid Modern Warfare 2 DLC, but changed scope during development and is now expected to be a full new premium title.
The game is allegedly going to launch for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on November 10, with PlayStation platforms set to receive early access releases.
However, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier re-affirms this is a paid expansion for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which is "supposed to have lots of content."
Though the company doesn't say what form that will take. Previous reports have alleged that a new paid Call of Duty game won't be released next year.
A new report claims that Activision has internally delayed 2023's premium Call of Duty instalment, and will instead release another new free-to-play online entry.
