The latest installment in this year’s Call of Duty franchise, Modern Warfare 3, features a significant number of classic maps from the original 2009 release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This inclusion is somewhat perplexing, given the series’ timeline and the fact that this is a brand-new $70 game rather than a remastered version. However, despite the slight awkwardness of feeling nostalgic for maps in a Call of Duty game, I must admit that I’m feeling a bit enthusiastic about it.
In 2023’s Modern Warfare 3, all 16 maps that were originally part of the 2009 release, Modern Warfare 2, are making a comeback. Activision is fully embracing the nostalgia factor in a recent blog post, kicking it off with the welcoming phrase, “Welcome home.” As I read through the list, I’m instantly transported back to the late 2000s. During that time, I was heavily immersed in playing Modern Warfare 2, and I had a rather unique experience of visiting Infinity Ward’s studio and crafting a strategy guide for these very maps for a magazine. It’s a job I was doing 14 years ago, and certain maps like Afghan, Scrapyard, Favela, Derail, Estate, and Highrise remain vividly etched in my memory.
“The way we approached it is, ‘How are we going to make the best versions of those maps that people have ever played?’ Because that’s what we want as fans.”
Matt Abbott, art director
The updated versions of these maps won’t be completely identical to their original counterparts. Design director Zach Hodson mentioned that some adjustments have been made to “better align with contemporary gameplay.” As an illustration, you now have the ability to mantle to areas on the skyscraper rooftops of Highrise that were previously inaccessible. However, Hodson also emphasized that, overall, the maps will maintain a strong resemblance to the originals, saying, “for the most part, they’re going to feel incredibly similar.”
The blog post delves further into the modifications, explaining, “Thanks to the technological advancements in Call of Duty’s animation and movement techniques developed over the past 14 years, Operators can now engage in Tactical Sprint, leap between rooftops, mantle onto structures, and navigate narrow alleyways with Tac-Stance, providing players with greater assurance during intense, close-quarters confrontations.” It essentially signifies that a “modernized” take on the Modern Warfare 2 (2009) maps ensures an authentic multiplayer experience enriched by the knowledge accumulated from the extensive history of the Call of Duty franchise.
Modern Warfare 3 is quite an unconventional entry in the Call of Duty series. For the first time ever, all unlocks from the previous year’s game, Modern Warfare 2, will carry over, marking a departure from the usual progression system. Additionally, it’s worth noting that this is the first instance since 2007 where a Call of Duty game has been followed by a direct sequel the following year. There had been rumors circulating for a while that Activision was considering a substantial expansion for Modern Warfare 2 instead of releasing an entirely new game this year, and Modern Warfare 3 might well have started as such. Modern Warfare 3 is set to launch on November 10th.
