Infinity Ward insists that the upcoming first person shooter, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, is not going to be a political game. Speaking with Game Informer in an interview – which you can view in its entirety below – when asked if Modern Warfare is a political game, Infinity Ward Studio Art Director Joel Emslie said, “No. We’re just making a game.” When asked if that seems “insane”, Emslie responded, “It seems insane to get political to me.”
It’s an interesting stance to take for the game, especially when you look at the way it has been marketed since it was first revealed. Activision and Infinity Ward have both insisted that Modern Warfare is going to be a “realistic” and “grounded” portrayal of contemporary warfare, and will handle the heavy themes that come along with that portrayal with appropriate weight. Many would expect that such a premise would inherently go hand-in-hand with at least some political discourse.
This is not, of course, the first time a major publisher has taken such a stance for their game. Earlier in the year, Ubisoft insisted that The Division 2 is not a political game. Many audiences took issue with that, citing the game’s basic premise of fighting back against insurrections and rebels to retake control of the United States capital as being an inherently political one.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is out on October 25th for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. After its recent multiplayer reveal, it will be receiving a multiplayer beta in September. Campaign footage will also be unveiled “soon”.
