Call of Duty is a franchise that has grown stale after so many incarnations for over 10 years, minus the Modern Warfare games. Finally, Activision is offering a remaster of one of the best Call of Duty games of all time — Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2 were the pinnacle of Call of Duty and defined the series in many respects, taking the series from the typical World War II setting and bringing it into the modern era. It was both revolutionary and a masterpiece. It had an amazing campaign and killer online multiplayer. Modern Warfare 2 was an extension of this and took things even further. The campaign was nothing short of epic in scale and it took the best parts of the Modern Warfare multiplayer and improved upon it greatly. Modern Warfare 2 was the ultimate Call of Duty game.
Activision is now offering the original Modern Warfare as a downloadable game, but there’s a catch — you have to buy one of the special editions of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. From a business perspective, this isn’t a bad move because it may drive sales for a franchise many think is stale, regardless of how well sales were for the last Call of Duty installment. From a PR standpoint though, it is a nightmare. Long-time fans of the series are very upset, as they should be. I personally have been waiting for a remaster of the first two Modern Warfare games, but I don’t want to shell out a ridiculous amount of money just to get it. Fans should boycott Infinite Warfare simply on this premise alone. Think of all the money Activision could make if they released Call of Duty 4 on its own without Infinite Warfare? And then Modern Warfare 2? They would make a gold mine. Instead they are only releasing Modern Warfare as a digital download with overpriced versions of Infinite Warfare, which has been teased but may not even be worth the price.
Modern Warfare was amazing on the PC, it was amazing on consoles, and not releasing the game by itself on a physical disc is a huge mistake Activision will eventually regret. If they were to pull this same stunt with Modern Warfare 2, fans will riot, considering how popular Modern Warfare 2 was and the ridiculous lines I had to wait in when it launched. The first two Modern Warfare games were the best first-person shooter experiences I have ever had, and that’s saying something considering my game library. While Call of Duty 4 isn’t the best selling Call of Duty game, it is the most revolutionary one and is revered as one of the best in the series. It deserves better than a digital pack-in with Activision’s latest Call of Duty, which may be a complete mess. Black Ops III wasn’t a terrible game, but it didn’t feel like Call of Duty. The series has veered off track and a set of remasters of the Modern Warfare trilogy would help put things back on track for long-time fans.
Activision is being so disrespectful to Call of Duty fans. To only allow fans to purchase Modern Warfare by buying special edition versions of Infinite Warfare, which may be terrible, is a slap in the face to all their loyal followers over the past 10-plus years. If I were to0 buy a special edition of Infinite Warfare, I would simply do it to get the code and sell Infinite Warfare on eBay. It would sell. Activision is taking things way too far this time and I think sales will reflect that. There should be a boycott of Infinite Warfare if Call of Duty 4 is not released on its own, even if it’s just digitally. It’s an outrage. And yes, this is repetitive, but Modern Warfare is simply that good. It’s almost like Activision is trying to revitalize a stale franchise by making this move, knowing that Infinite Warfare isn’t enough on its own. Black Ops III sold decently, with 16 million copies total units sold, and while this is better than the original Modern Warfare, it still pales in comparison to Modern Warfare 2 and 3 and some of the other Black Ops titles in the series. Call of Duty is running on its brand, not necessarily its quality.
Modern Warfare was revolutionary. It changed the franchise forever and spanned one of the best-selling trilogies in the entire history of the franchise. It was rich with content and had a fun factor that many recent installments in the series lack. Activision is making a huge mistake buy not selling it by itself, and fans need to speak up and take action. That is the only way Activision will ever change their ways.