The latest intel drop for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III contains extensive details about incorporating 2009’s maps into the 2023 Modern Warfare multiplayer. Sledgehammer Games’ Art Director Matt Abbott and Design Director Zach Hodson share how the team has put great effort into meticulously recreating maps from Afghan, Derail, Estate, Favela, Karachi, Highrise, Invasion, Quarry, Rundown, Rust, Scrapyard, Skidrow, Sub Base, Terminal, Underpass, Wasteland in a new interview video. Team members were so excited about updating the classic maps with new technology that they each called dibs on who got to work on which maps.
Below are some excerpts from the lengthy latest intel drop on the Call of Duty website. The team held nothing back in explaining the many details regarding how it updated the maps for modern technology but also added new images to them. The 16 maps are not the only ones that will be available in Modern Warfare III Multiplayer. There will also be four “massive” environments made up of three new battle maps plus a new gargantuan War Map for the re-added War Mode. Post-launch content will include 12 new 6×6 maps which will be rolled out through seasons.
Launch Details and Events
“The Call of Duty community will experience a selection of modernized Modern Warfare 2 (2009) maps for themselves starting on October 5, where representatives from around the world will play Modern Warfare III Multiplayer as part of the Call of Duty®: Next franchise showcase.
You can watch Next live on the Official Call of Duty Twitch® Channel or the Call of Duty YouTube® Channel, with more details on the event to come later in September.
Following Call of Duty: Next, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare IIIMultiplayer Open Beta begins with its first weekend exclusive to PlayStation®.(*1)( *2) Both the first weekend — October 6–10 — and the second Beta weekend — October 12–16 — will feature Early Access Days(*3) as well as an Open Beta period (*4).
This all leads up to the game’s official release on November 10, where all 16 of the thoroughly modernized Modern Warfare 2 (2009) launch maps will be available to play as part of a robust Day One Multiplayer offering.
Lock in your preorders now to receive immediate rewards in Call of Duty: Warzoneand Modern Warfare IIas well as for Modern Warfare IIIlater in November.
Both physical and digital editions of the game can be preordered on your platform of choice, with all editions detailed in our preorder guide here.
For more details on everything coming to Modern Warfare III,read the full announcement and stay tuned for further intel.
Stay frosty.
(*1) PS4 and PS5 owners in Germany will require a PS Plus subscription due to the game’s age rating.
(*2) PS4 and PS5 owners in Japan must be at least 18 years of age to use this content.
(*3) MP Beta Early Access starts October 6, 2023, Open MP Beta begins October 8, 2023 on PS4 and PS5 systems; other platforms to follow. Actual platform availability and launch date(s) of MP Beta subject to change. See www.callofduty.com/beta for more details. Minimum Open Beta duration is 2 days. Limited time only, while Early Access Beta Codes last, at participating retailers. Online multiplayer subscription may be required.
(*4) Open MP Beta begins October 12, 2023 on PS4 and PS5 systems; other platforms to follow. Actual platform availability and launch date(s) of MP Beta subject to change. See www.callofduty.com/beta for more details. Minimum Open Beta duration is 2 days. Limited time only, while Early Access Beta Codes last, at participating retailers. Internet connection required. Online multiplayer subscription may be required.
© 2023 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, CALL OF DUTY WARZONE, and MODERN WARFARE are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com and www.youtube.com/callofduty, and follow @Activision and @CallofDuty on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. For Call of Duty Updates, follow @CODUpdates on Twitter.“
Latest Intel Drop Excerpt from the COD Website
“Welcome home. Whether it’s Favela, Rust, or the other 14 launch maps from the original Modern Warfare 2 (2009), prepare for Modern Warfare III’s Multiplayer Day One offering and get a serious dose of nostalgia, powered by modern technology.“
“What’s your favorite Call of Duty Multiplayer map?
As Call of Duty nears its 20th anniversary, veteran fans could have over 100 potential answers to that question, and that’s not including the 16 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer maps that debuted in 2009 — one of the greatest Day One Multiplayer offerings of all time.
Afghan. Derail. Estate. Favela. Karachi. Highrise. Invasion. Quarry. Rundown. Rust. Scrapyard. Skidrow. Sub Base. Terminal. Underpass. Wasteland.
As previously revealed, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare® III will launch with meticulously crafted, modernized versions of these 16 Core Modern Warfare 2 (2009) maps, constructed to maintain the authenticity and accuracy of the originals.
Sledgehammer Games’ Art Director Matt Abbott and Design Director Zach Hodson detail what that means in the latest Intel Drop:
As mentioned in the video above, Matt explains that the excitement at faithfully modernizing 16 seminal multiplayer maps was palpable, with the studio’s designers calling dibs on who brought each Modern Warfare 2 (2009) map back to life in Modern Warfare III. And his colleague Zach emphasized the importance of giving players a new way to experience these classic maps.
“We [asked], ‘What was good about the movement of older games? What was good about the gunplay of older games?’ And the same with the newer games,” Zach said. “So we tried to marry those things.”
Or, as Matt puts it simply, “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.”
Latest Intel Drop – Multiplayer Maps: Then and Now
Fourteen years later, Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward have a wealth of game engine and design tech advancements at their disposal, such as variable-rate shading, and numerous runtime systems for better enemy visibility, to name a few.
These new, ever-advancing technological tools are vital in faithfully re-creating the Modern Warfare 2 (2009) classic maps just as fans remember them.
“There are places where the metrics of the level are adjusted to fit more modern gameplay,” Zach states, “but for the most part, it’s going to feel incredibly similar. The biggest changes are in a fidelity sense.”
In other words, those who played Favela, Terminal, or Scrapyard in 2009 may expect a wave of nostalgia as they encounter the visual updates, and more experienced veterans may appreciate the modernization updates for gameplay flow purposes.
One example is the vehicles lining the streets in various locations throughout the map pool; these are different models compared to the 2009 versions. As you explore these newly modernized maps, you’ll notice other areas have received touches that both improve gameplay and enhance scenic detail and visibility.
Buildings and other features may be a different color or material entirely, such as the old dirt-and-grass soccer pitch in Favela, which is now paved over with blue acrylic-coated blacktop.
And when it comes to lighting, this revision of the game engine truly shines.
The game’s in-game illumination techniques noticeably brighten areas like Favela’s central alleyways, allowing players to see enemy Operators more clearly, rather than have targets blend into the shadows.“