Call of Duty: Modern Warfare deploys October 25TH !

Call of Duty: Modern Warefare deploys October 25^TH (Company press release)

·         Activision Blizzard has confirmed that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be released on October 25^th.

·         The title was developed by Infinity Ward and will include cross-play support, i.e. allow PC and console players to play together.

·         Activision is eliminating the traditional season pass in a move to deliver more free content and post-launch events to its players.

Analysis and comments

·         The headline news comes as no huge surprise as investors were already aware that the Infinity Ward studio was making the game, and thus Modern Warfare was a very likely candidate.

·         However, some details of the game are particularly interesting. There will be a single-player story, an action-packed multiplayer playground, and new cooperative gameplay. No sign of Battle Royale. Notably, Modern Warfare players can play together across PC and console through cross-play support – a development that we are increasingly seeing within the space.

·         The fact that ATVI is eliminating the traditional season pass is positive, given there are several competing games that already offer maps and content for free – again something we are seeing more often given the popularity and success of free-to-play games such as Fortnite, Apex Legends, and League of Legends.

·         In terms of readacross, the game is released 3 weeks after Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon (so a nice buffer), and it will be interesting to see whether any of the peers follow with removing the season pass in order to maximise other revenue streams.