As well timed as any real-life military operation, when autumn approaches, Activision reveals a new Call of Duty title. On Thursday night, the publisher announced Modern Warfare III, the latest (and last?) in its series of military shooters reimagining the trio of hugely successful Modern Warfare titles from the early 2010s. The game will launch on 10 November, on PC, PlayStation and Xbox with development led by Sledgehammer Games, which worked on the original Modern Warfare III with series originator, Infinity Ward.
Acting as a direct sequel to last year’s Modern Warfare II reboot, the game will see dramatically moustached hero John Price and his Task Force 141 taking on long-running antagonist Vladimir Makarov, very much the Moriarty of Russian ultra nationalism. The Campaign mode will feature new Open Combat Missions, which offer players various routes and options depending on their preferred play styles.
For the crucial online multiplayer offering, the new title will come with updated versions of the 16 original maps included with 2009’s Modern Warfare II, as well as four larger battle maps for the Ground War and Invasion modes, and a huge battle environment for the War mode. Twelve further maps are promised for post-launch. There’s also fresh 3v3v3 mode known as Cutthroat, new weapon customisation options and something called Tac Stance, a special movement mechanic for tactical close-quarters combat.
Elsewhere, the popular Zombies survival mode is back. Developed by Treyarch, the side-game is getting its biggest ever open-world map, and multiple player squads will now be able to team up to defeat undead hordes and larger monsters.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II was the fastest selling title in the history of the series, passing $1bn in revenue in 10 days. The fate of its successor will no doubt be watched with keen interest by the rest of the industry, considering Microsoft’s ongoing attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard, despite resistance from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority. The fate of the Call of Duty series, and its continued availability on non-Microsoft-owned platforms, has been a key element of concern for market regulators.
For fans, however, it’s all about potentially the last adventure for John Price as well as a fresh set of online maps to fight over for the coming year.