Modern Warfare 4 Looks Like a Return to What Made Call of Duty Matter

It’s been years since Call of Duty was interesting. Not all of the almost countless entries into gaming’s most well-known IP that launched after Black Ops 2 were awful. However, only Modern Warfare (2019) reached the storyline heights that Modern Warfare II (2009) set. And Black Ops 6 was the most enjoyable of the three most recent iterations of that sub-series, for as low of a bar as that is.

If you’ve been a Call of Duty fanatic for more than a few years, you know the franchise has drifted away from the identity that made it a cultural cornerstone. Earlier entries tackled political themes, grounded military conflicts, and had memorable single-player campaigns. The more recent ones have leaned heavily into live-service garbage territory, though, with mediocre campaigns and increasingly outlandish multiplayer content. 

That’s not true this year, though. Modern Warfare 4 looks like it’s going to be a return to the IP’s roots. It’s going to be set in a real world conflict, have gritty-ish combat, and you won’t be able to pay a few quid to dress your virtual soldier up as Nikki Minaj or Skeletor. It’s unlikely that Modern Warfare 4 will redefine the franchise. However, it could be the best Call of Duty since Modern Warfare (2019).

At risk of stating the obvious, there isn’t a lot of information about Modern Warfare 4 at present. There’s only a few trailers, a handful of tweets from Infinity Ward, a heavily edited gameplay video, and a blog post. We know its campaign will primarily take place in a Korean War gone hot, and that nothing fundamental about the series’ trademark gameplay will be changing. Based on what we’ve seen, though, Modern Warfare 4 seems to be the most realistic title in the IP that we’ve had in what feels like forever. 

The most interesting thing about everything we've seen so far is that Modern Warfare 4 appears to be centred around a conflict that feels plausible. Or at least one that could very well start up again soon. Technically, the Korean War hasn’t ended. North and South Korea never declared peace, just signed an armistice that temporarily ended hostilities in 1953. Tensions are, obviously, still high in the Korean Peninsula. Without getting too deep into geopolitical analysis, it wouldn’t take much for the two countries and their allies to start shooting at one another. Especially given how things are going in the world as a whole right now.

It’s been a long time since Call of Duty was set during recognisable conflicts in places you could actually point to on a map. There have been plenty of missions in the recent games that took place within Russia or the United Kingdom or wherever. The antagonists in those titles were usually rogue actors, though, and their maps weren’t based on places you can look at on Google Maps. Urzikstan doesn’t exist in the real world, and neither does Verdansk or Al Mazrah. North and South Korea do, though.

The last time Call of Duty let you fight in countries you could point to on a map, and not as some sort of secret squirrel soldier, was the original Modern Warfare III (2011). The missions were memorable because players instantly recognized the places they were fighting through. The CoDs set in World War II did the same thing. They were gritty, and more importantly, down to earth. You may have been gunning down hundreds of nameless goons, but knowing the same thing could happen in the real world helped enhance immersion and the overall experience. 

‍Modern Warfare 4 appears to be aiming to do the same. There’s no doubt that it’ll include plenty of spec ops-type stuff, with the teasers including a couple of fan favourite super soldiers whose plotlines barely make sense. The game’s signature multiplayer mode will, no doubt, be equally silly despite the developer’s promise to the contrary. Captain Price and Ghost are set to return, continuing storylines that have been running for years. There’s some sort of new map system that involves a simulated village. However, the crux of the game’s singleplayer is apparently going to focus on a generic ROK marine defending his homeland. 

‍Call of Duty has been political before. Modern Warfare (2019) is an anti-war war game. Modern Warfare (2007) let you play through the last moments of a soldier killed in a nuclear blast. Black Ops II was all about drone warfare, and Advanced Warfare discussed the role of private military contractors. Nobody really remembers any of the CoD’s multiplayer modes outside of nostalgia. But when they have an engaging storyline…people still talk about Modern Warfare II for a reason. 

Again, all of this is idle speculation. Call of Duty is one of the most predictable things in the universe at this point, though. Modern Warfare 4 is gearing up to be different from its awful predecessor, and a return to form for what made the franchise into the powerhouse it is today. Its setting is topical and contemporary. 

If Infinity Ward commits to that approach, Modern Warfare could become the most compelling Call of Duty campaign in years. The series has always been at its best when it balances blockbuster spectacle with recognisable conflicts and believable stakes. For the first time in a long while, it looks like the franchise understands that again. We’ll find out for sure on October 23rd.