Rumors Swirl That Activision Hastily Pushed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Development
Activision's hasty approach to developing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 may have resulted in the game's underwhelming and brief campaign, leaving fans disappointed
Article Key Points
Modern Warfare 3's disappointing single-player campaign can be attributed to Activision rushing its development, leading to a lack of elements that would make it interesting.
Modern Warfare 3's campaign has received negative feedback from critics and fans, especially those who are familiar with the older Modern Warfare games. They criticize the campaign for its poor writing and lack of originality. Activision's choice to expedite the development process, completing it in a record-breaking 16 months, may have had an impact on the campaign's length and overall quality, resulting in unfavorable review scores.
Activision's alleged rush to develop Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 may have contributed to its disappointing single-player campaign. Fans of the Call of Duty franchise, especially those who enjoyed the original Modern Warfare trilogy, were left unsatisfied with Modern Warfare 3's campaign. It was deemed short and lacking in various elements that would have made it engaging. Even TheGamingRevolution, a prominent Call of Duty content creator, criticized the campaign for being poorly written and devoid of tension, stakes, and originality. This dissatisfaction led some gamers to review bomb the original 2011 release of Modern Warfare 3. While the reasons behind this action are unclear, their sentiments towards the remake are understandable and may be justified.
A Bloomberg report uncovered that Activision expedited the development of Modern Warfare 3 to fill a gap in the release calendar, following the alleged delay of a sequel to Advanced Warfare from 2014. Anonymous sources disclosed to Bloomberg that Activision executives altered their plans to convert a smaller spinoff of Modern Warfare into a full-fledged sequel to Modern Warfare 2. This change in direction significantly encroached upon the developers' schedule, leaving them with approximately 16 months - the shortest timeframe for the creation of a new Call of Duty game - to work on Modern Warfare 3.
According to sources from Bloomberg, over a dozen developers, both current and former, believed that Modern Warfare 3 was merely an expansion of Modern Warfare 2. Some developers claim that the plan for Modern Warfare 3's development was unclear, while others allege that they were directly informed that it was just an expansion. Activision eventually revealed that Modern Warfare 3 was indeed a standalone game, which left some developers feeling betrayed as they were promised that they wouldn't have to endure another rushed development timeline like they did with Call of Duty: Vanguard.
The extensive development period that Sledgehammer developers had to work with for Modern Warfare 3 may have impacted the length of the game's campaign. Players could typically complete Modern Warfare 3's campaign in approximately 5 to 8 hours, although the duration can vary depending on the chosen difficulty setting and the inclusion of collectibles. Nevertheless, the unfavorable reviews from both critics and gamers strongly reflect the decisions that Activision may or may not have made. As to whether Activision has learned from the shortcomings of Modern Warfare 3's campaign and will improve in its sequel, it remains uncertain and open to speculation.
Scheduled to be launched on November 10, 2023, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) by Activision follows the further adventures of Captain Price, continuing his journey from the previous games released in 2019 and 2022.
Platform(s) PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS4, Xbox OneReleased November 10, 2023Developer(s) Sledgehammer GamesPublisher(s) Activision
Editor's P/S
As a long-time fan of the Call of Duty franchise, especially the Modern Warfare series, I was excited about the release of Modern Warfare 3. However, after playing through the campaign, I was left disappointed and underwhelmed. The campaign was short, lacking in originality, and poorly written. It felt like Activision had rushed the development of the game in order to meet a release deadline, and it showed.
I understand that game development is a complex and time-consuming process, but I believe that Activision could have done a better job with Modern Warfare 3. They had the resources and the talent to create a truly great game, but they fell short. I hope that they will take the time to properly develop the next Modern Warfare game and give fans the experience they deserve.
