The months main as much as Fashionable Warfare 3 have slowly proven us how this 12 months’s Name of Obligation is not fairly just like the others. Nowhere has this develop into clearer than within the Fashionable Warfare 3 marketing campaign, which some gamers are calling one of many worst of the sequence, and never for the standard causes a CoD marketing campaign can fall flat.
Followers are pointing to the MW3 marketing campaign’s size, a brisk four-ish hours in comparison with the standard six to eight, and an overreliance on small “Open Fight Missions” as proof that Fashionable Warfare 3 was rushed, or did not get as a lot improvement time as ordinary for the sequence. The sport’s official subreddit is presently a flurry of disappointment, memes, and bewilderment at a CoD that does not look like itself this 12 months.
“That is fingers down the worst CoD marketing campaign I’ve ever performed and Warzone is 100% guilty,” wrote Reddit person D_ultimateplayer within the present prime submit on the MW3 subreddit. “What a slap within the face. I’m shocked and appalled. The writing was on the wall this whole time in case you actually give it some thought.”
Warzone has come up a number of instances within the MW3 marketing campaign reactions I’ve seen, most likely due to how a lot Sledgehammer’s Open Fight Missions resemble mini Warzone missions. These ranges, which make up round half of the marketing campaign, are small sandbox missions that break from the sequence’ ordinary model of on-rails setpieces. They’re kind of like co-op missions performed alone, besides they incorporate Warzone mechanics like looting and armor plates. I am having enjoyable with them, however it’s bizarre how a lot the marketing campaign depends on them for the heavy lifting.
It do be like that from r/ModernWarfareIII
On the root of the suggestions, I might argue, is a matter of mismanaged expectations pushed by how Activison has talked about Fashionable Warfare 3. It began in 2022, when Bloomberg reported that Name of Obligation wouldn’t get a full premium launch in 2023, as an alternative choosing growth content material for Fashionable Warfare 2. Activision later introduced Fashionable Warfare 3 as a full, business-as-usual $70 recreation. However as we realized extra about Fashionable Warfare 3’s uncommon make-up, the bundle started to sound an increasing number of just like the reported MW2 growth than a standalone recreation:
- Fashionable Warfare 3 carries over all weapons and cosmetics from Fashionable Warfare 2
- Fashionable Warfare 3 will solely have remake maps from the 2009 Fashionable Warfare 2 at launch, an odd map pool
- There isn’t any devoted co-op mode, however as an alternative a Treyarch-developed Zombies mode that reuses the Warzone map
- Fashionable Warfare 3 is bought and put in as if it is DLC for MW2
- You actually need to launch MW2 (now referred to as the CoD HQ) to entry MW3
After which there have been the purple flags, like the truth that Calls of Obligation by no means get direct sequels one 12 months after the earlier recreation, or how Sledgehammer Video games can be main a mainline Fashionable Warfare mission as an alternative of the sequence’ ordinary stewards, Infinity Ward. No single component is all that alarming, however taken collectively, they paint an image of a recreation cobbled collectively by necessity.
“This is able to’ve been so a lot better if it was simply stored as MW2 Yr 2 however god forbid they do not have a ‘full’ recreation launch yearly,” wrote Reddit person Much_Adhesiveness871. “We may’ve skipped MW3 this 12 months and simply have taken no matter CoD was up subsequent.”
Campaigns aren’t the most important precedence for many CoD enjoyers, however particularly as Activision has began to launch them a full week earlier than the multiplayer, they do set the tone for what’s to come back. The remainder of Fashionable Warfare 3 releases on November 10, or the night time earlier than relying on the place you reside.