We wondered what would be the stigma of the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft, it is now done. Call of Duty and the studio’s other major licenses should soon integrate the Xbox Game Pass.
[Mis à jour le 1er septembre 2022 à 18h48] Call of Duty will take sides in the console wars. Well, not really, but the license will seriously lean to one side. After the massive takeover of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft, the future of some of the biggest licenses in the history of video games (Diablo, Call of Duty, Overwatch, etc.) was debated. It was without counting on Phil Spencer, the CEO of Xbox, who spoke in a Microsoft Blog post on September 1, 2022. And the announcement is quite sensational! Call of Duty, as well as all major Activision-Blizzard licenses will eventually join the Xbox Game Pass, without harming Playstation players. We explain all this to you.
It’s a little bomb that Phil Spencer dropped on this first day of September. The Chairman and CEO of Xbox has confirmed certain suspicions about the future of Activision-Blizzard games after the acquisition of the studio by Microsoft. In a blog post, Spencer claimed that the studio’s biggest licenses will eventually join Xbox Game Pass. So no, we are not talking about immediately right away, this information should not concern Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but the future of this titanic association between one of the largest publishers in the world, and Microsoft, which no longer needs to be presented.
However, this announcement has enough to cool Playstation players, who could worry about the availability of Activision and Blizzard titles on their consoles. But Phil Spencer quickly brushed aside these concerns, saying that the game releases would indeed take place in the Xbox Game Pass, but also and at the same time on Playstation consoles. Something to reassure avid square triangle cross and round, who can always enjoy their favorite licenses on their consoles.
And the decision of Xbox and Phil Spencer seems quite logical. Allowing Xbox Game Pass subscribers to take advantage of the biggest licenses in video game history could do a lot for Microsoft’s gaming subscription service. The scale of the success of this relatively recent formula is still difficult to grasp, but we know that around 30 million players take advantage of Xbox Game Pass services. And this figure could greatly increase with the arrival of Call of Duty, Overwatch and Diablo in its catalog.
Like any big self-respecting release, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 will open its doors to the public during its various beta weekends. But beware, not everyone is invited to fight on the same day, with, as traditionally, a slight advantage for Playstation players, and early access for players who have pre-ordered the game. Thus, the Call of Duty beta : Modern Warfare 2 will be organized as follows:
PlayStation only:
- September 16 and 17: early access to the game beta
- September 18 to 20: beta open to Playstation players
Xbox, PlayStation and PC:
- September 22 and 23: early access to the game beta
- September 24 to 26: beta open to all players
But before the beta dates, which are fast approaching, Activision and Infinity Ward have prepared a big event dedicated to the future of the franchise. The Call of Duty Next will be held on September 15 next (time still undefined) and will be broadcast live on the Call of Duty Twitch and Youtube channels. This conference aims to present to the public the intentions of Activision and Infinity Ward (developer of MW2) regarding the future of the license. More concretely, this event will detail the program for the first seasons of the game, as well as some information on DMZ and Warzone 2, the two large-scale competitive game modes of Modern Warfare 2. If you want to learn more about Call of Duty Next or on Warzone 2.0, do not hesitate to consult our articles below:
Pre-order Call of Duty Modern: Warfare 2 today to enjoy various benefits when the game is released. This year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be offered in 2 versions, the Standard version which includes the game and the game. access to the open beta (a few days early on Playstation consoles), and the Vault version which has all the advantages of the Standard version, plus the battle pass from the first season of the game, 50 levels, cosmetics and operators . You will find the Vault edition for 99.99 € on the official website from Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.
We are currently in a period of transition between two generations of consoles, and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 intends to integrate this fact into its offer. This is why you will be able to find different versions of the game, some of which are cross-generation packs. These games are therefore compatible with both console generations, just like the offer above for the Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles. You will find the cross-generation packs at €79.99, i.e. the same price as the PS5 and Xbox Series games.
If we take a closer look at these images, it’s hard not to remember the intense and revolutionary campaign of Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019). A military assault on the high seas is something to impress, despite the game still sticking to its graphics engine for three years. There are some innovations, particularly in terms of the physics of objects on the water, but these images rather assure us of a solid Call of Duty that is more than revolutionary. We will also, of course, celebrate the return of Captain Price and his colleagues in this muscular campaign focused on the challenges of the modern world.
Let’s start these few lines by confirming that what is in question here is still only at the stage of rumors and that nothing has yet been officially announced by Infinity Ward or Activision. Although Tom Henderson has very knowledgeable sources and has seen his inferences very often confirmed, he is still a (respected) journalist and not the Community Manager of Activision Blizzard. In his article for Tryhard, the British start by denying the rumors that the DMZ mode would be a free-to-play release on the sidelines of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a bit like Warzone. Indeed, sources close to Infinity Ward have confirmed that the DMZ mode will be launched at the same time as the game, and integrated into its various multiplayer experiences. You will therefore have to buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to play it.
As for the very nature of DMZ’s gameplay, some rumors quickly compared it to a hardcore extraction-based shooter, similar to Escape from Tarkov. Again, Henderson dismissed those rumors by stating that, yes, the game would be similar to the popular Russian tactical FPS in its mission/extraction premise, but that DMZ probably won’t come out as full-featured as its Eastern European counterpart. is. It would actually be more like “one of the game’s multiplayer modes” and not a full standalone Warzone-like experience. Infinity Ward’s choice would rather be to build the DMZ experience over time and with the players. An understandable decision, given Battlefield 2042’s Hazard Zone mode fiasco (although the failure of HZ mode was more due to the lack of a viable rewards system, and more generally content in a more than very average Battlefield 2042).
It is therefore the American studio Infinity Ward which is in charge of the development of this next release. Quite reassuring news when you consider his pedigree in terms of Call of Duty games. We owe him very popular episodes like Modern Warfare (2007) and Modern Warfare 2 (2009), but also Modern Warfare (2019) and soon Modern Warfare 2 (2022-2023). Proof of an undeniable ability to provide excellent FPS failing to find them original names. Modern Warfare 2 will of course be the opportunity to find the most popular operators of the first part, Captain Price, Ghost and tutti quanti, which we can of course see in its new Battle Royale mode, Warzone 2. moreover Warzone 2 which is in the center of attention at the moment since the insider and journalist Tom Henderson relayed the first sketches of the map of the next Battle Royale.
If you want to take a look at the Warzone 2 map, feel free to check out Tom Henderson’s original article:
Modern Warfare 2 finally has an official release date! It is fixed for the next october 28. Once again, the game will be released on both generations of consoles, and on PC. It will therefore be found on PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series. Good news for all those who have not yet had the opportunity to buy one of the rare next-gen consoles on the shelves, less good news for the technical progress of the game. These may be quite limited, slowed down by an older console generation and with reduced capabilities compared to their next-gen counterparts. A justified choice for Activision, which cannot afford to set aside the immense mass of PS4 and Xbox One players.