CoD Modern Warfare 4's secret weapon is hiding in plain sight

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 already has plenty of obvious hooks, from its full-scale invasion of South Korea to Captain Price operating outside the system and away from Task Force 141. However, the most interesting thing about the game may be hiding in the most obvious place possible. Specifically, this is the first time Infinity Ward has ever had one Modern Warfare 4 to work with, and it could give the studio more creative freedom than it had with the last three rebooted entries.

During a recent reveal event at Infinity Ward in Los Angeles, I sat down with Associate Design Director Alex Norris and Narrative Director Jeff Negus to talk specifically about Modern Warfare 4s campaign. When I asked if there was one Call of Duty campaign that influenced this one the most, Negus pointed out that it “has never been a four in Modern warfare before,” meaning that Infinity Ward is no longer reworking a title that players already have years of history with. It still needs to feel like Modern warfareof course, but for the first time in this rebooted series, it also gets to define a whole new number for itself.

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Infinity Ward bites its tongue over massive Modern Warfare 4 Twist

In an interview with GameRant about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's campaign, Infinity Ward teased a never-before-seen twist for the series.

Modern Warfare 4's numbers give Infinity Ward more creative freedom

The last three Modern warfare games weren't direct remakes, and they never really tried to be. Infinity Ward changed a lot about the story, the characters, and how certain events played out, even when it clearly drew from material players already knew. Price, Ghost, Soap, Shepherd, Makarov and Task Force 141 all returned, but they returned in a different version of Modern warfare universe.

Even so, there would always be a limit to how new these games could feel. When a game is called Modern Warfare 2 or Modern Warfare 3players will compare it to the older game of the same name. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does put the rebooted trilogy in a very special box. Infinity Ward could reimagine the story, but it was still reimagining something nonetheless. Modern Warfare 4 is different, because there is no original Modern Warfare 4 waiting on the other side of it. That's what made Negus' answer so interesting when I asked if there was a particular Call of Duty campaign that influenced Modern Warfare 4 the most:

I wouldn't say there is a particular title. This is new ground for us, calling it a 4, there has never been a 4 in Modern Warfare before. So that means we get to redefine what it really means to call it a Modern Warfare game. We get to take the parts of the DNA that really make it what it is, and then we get to move into new territory in a variety of ways.

To be clear, redefine what it means to call something a Modern warfare games doesn't mean that Infinity Ward suddenly gets to do whatever it wants and slap the name on the box. There is still a certain weight that comes with that title. Players expect grounded military action, cinematic missions, familiar characters, and a story that feels like it might sit just close enough to the real world to make them uncomfortable. But after three rebooted entries, the series had also started to feel a little boxed in by its own formula, especially with how often it leaned on Task Force 141, covert operations and smaller missions built around chasing down one target after another.

At least that's part of what did Modern Warfare 3 so bad for some players. Its campaign had some good ideas, but it also felt like the thinnest version of what this subseries could be, with the Open Combat Missions in particular making it feel more fragmented than fully realized. So when the Negus talked about Modern Warfare 4 moving into new territory, that idea made a lot of sense. The game finally has a number that the original trilogy never touched, and with it comes a chance to do Modern warfare feel bigger again. Norris seemed to come up with the same idea as he continued Negu's thought:

We're kind of breaking new ground for Modern Warfare as far as our last set, because so much of Modern Warfare 1 and 2 and 3 are these sort of smaller missions where it's like special forces going after targets and hunting down terrorists. We're returning to a bit of our Great War roots – infantry and armor and air support all working together. So, if you think about influences, maybe a little bit back to some of the WWII aspects when we think about that side of the campaign.

Norris comparison with Call of Duty: World War 2 says a lot about what Infinity Ward seems to be aiming for here. Second World War was still linear Call of Duty campaign, but it worked because it made players feel like a soldier going through a war much bigger than them. There were tanks, air support, infantry charges, shifting fronts, and missions that felt tied to a larger military effort. It's the kind of thing that some longtime players have no doubt missed Modern warfareespecially after three games that spent so much time with elite teams chasing specific targets through minor operations.

Modern Warfare 4 feels like a good entry and return point

It is also what makes Modern Warfare 4 feels like a great place for players to come back to, or even jump in for the first time. The price is still here, and the story is still moving forward, so long Modern warfare fans have a familiar story to follow. But with Private Park, the Korean Peninsula setting, and the large-scale war surrounding them, Infinity Ward has a chance to give everyone a new first impression. That was something Negus acknowledged when I asked if the team expected many new players to come into the series with Modern Warfare 4:

That is such an interesting question. Every time we make one of these games, we have to design for both people who have followed everything and make sure it's really satisfying for them, and also take into account the people who are just pressing start for the first time and know absolutely nothing about this. But I'd say the combination of returning characters and brand new fresh faces is a really unique opportunity to lean into, here's a first impression for everyone, whether you've been following along or not, and also an interesting new premise that has an ongoing story behind it.

So “4” in Modern Warfare 4 matters because it gives Infinity Ward something the last three Modern warfare game never really had. The studio is finally working on a number that doesn't already belong to another campaign in players' memories. Modern warfare, Modern Warfare 2and Modern Warfare 3 could certainly make changes, but they were still tied to the original trilogy in some way. Modern Warfare 4 of course has a history behind it as well, but there is no older version of this game waiting to be compared to it. For a series that has spent the last few years reimagining familiar ground, it could be the difference that makes the next chapter feel genuinely new.