Summary
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3is certainly shaping up to be a unique entry in the beloved subseries. Instead of being helmed by Infinity Ward, the developer that birthed and revivedModern Warfare,Sledgehammer Gameswill be leading development on this year’sCall of Dutygame. If rumors are to be believed, Sledgehammer will also be leaning more into nostalgia than the other entries in the rebootedModern Warfareseries, with the Ninja perk returning, the classic mini-map making a comeback, and a huge focus on map remasters. However, it will also be full of content from 2022’sCoDgame.
Anyone interested inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3will have likely heard about the Carry-Forward system by now. This mechanic will let players transfer nearly every item from the current game intoModern Warfare 3, with the exception of War Tracks and any skins tied to equipment and vehicles that will not be featured in the next game. Blueprints, Operators, Weapons, and other unlocked cosmetics will all be making the jump over toModern Warfare 3, rewarding players who invested in the previous game. With this system being so interesting, it is worth considering that it might just become the norm for the series going forward.
RELATED:Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Makarov’s Tattoos Explained
Carry-Forward Could Be a Middle Ground For Activision and Call of Duty Fans
For years, gamers have begged for Activision to bring an end toCall of Duty’s yearly release cycle, with fans feeling burnout due to the approach and believing that it has negatively impacted the quality of recent games. While the impressive sales success of the series means that the formula is unlikely to change anytime soon, this could be Activision’s way of compromising. With a Carry-forward system, two games are chained together so that players do not have to abandon all the content they grinded for after just one year.
While players will still be paying for two full price games, the upside of a Carry-Forward approach is obvious, especially for gamers who pick upCall of Dutyevery single year. If players spend an entire year grinding forDark Matter- which is realistic given how little gaming time some gamers have - then this way they would have a full year to make use of that camo as opposed to almost no time at all. It can be assumed that Carry-Forward will prove popular with fans, so long asModern Warfare 3has plenty of new content in addition to what is returning. As such, it might become the norm for the series.
However, for a Carry-Forward system to work, the two games have to have similar settings. For example,aBlack Opsgameis unlikely to Carry-Forward into a newModern Warfareand vice versa, something that could hint at a new long-term plan for the franchise. WhileModern Warfare 3releasing immediately afterModern Warfare 2is strange and unprecedented, as fans are used to a gap between entries in the same subseries, that might just be how things work from now on.
Call of Duty2024 is all-but-confirmed to be a newBlack Opsgame created by Treyarch, and if Activision wants to keep Carry-Forward going, thenCall of Duty2025 might just be aBlack Opstitle too. Perhaps it will be developed by Sledgehammer Games as well, just likeModern Warfare 3is. WithSledgehammer’s original games likeWW2andVanguardfailing to catch on, Activision may want the studio to work with the belovedBlack OpsandModern Warfarebrands from now on.
Though this is purely speculation, the new formula may be as follows.Infinity Wardcould create aModern Warfaregame, with all the content carried over to a secondModern Warfaregame made by Sledgehammer a year later. Then, Treyarch could craft aBlack Opsgame that is immediately followed up by a SledgehammerBlack Opstitle. Once again, Carry-Forward could be used here. While it remains to be seen if Sledgehammer could recapture the feel of Infinity Ward and possibly Treyarch’s signature franchises, this way players would be getting a two-game “era” forModern WarfareandBlack Opsas opposed to constantly switching between the two. While it is not quite the same as one game being supported for multiple years, content being shared between two games may make it feel like the next best thing.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3is scheduled to release on November 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
MORE:Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s Carry Forward System Could Lead to a Different Content Problem
