With the exception of 2017’s Sledgehammer Games-developed Call of Duty: WW2, Activision’s blockbuster franchise has constantly been veering more into the realms of high fiction, going from space in Infinite Warfare to the near-future aesthetic of the Black Ops series. However, with the upcoming Modern Warfare, they’re looking to shake things up by offering a more grounded and grim tone, and – with the campaign at least – focusing on the harsh realities of war.
How well they end up doing justice to topic such as this one is anyone’s best guess right now – it’s certainly drawn plenty of skepticism already – but it does seem Infinity Ward are committed to making it happen. And that’ll reflect in various aspects of the game- such as customization elements for weapons in multiplayer, too. Responding to a thread on Reddit, Joel Emslie (art director at the studio) gave assurances that the more colourful and wacky aesthetic customization options that the series has offered in recent years will instead be replaced by “realistic and relevant” customizations.
Of course, it remains to be seen to what extent Infinity Ward follows that, and what it deems as “realistic and relevant”. This might also have interesting implications for how much people even invest in the visual aspect of customizations- but the drive to keep in line with the game’s general tone is certainly commendable.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will release October 25th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. A full multiplayer reveal for the game is coming on August 1st– in the meantime, check out some raw Gunfight footage through here.