Call of Dutyis one of the most successful video game sagas of all time, with the latest entry continuing that trend.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2debuted on October 28 last year, quickly surpassed the $1 billion barrier, and became one of themost successful video game releases of 2022in the United States.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s long-awaited Season 2 updatedid not arrive on the originally announced date, as it was delayed due to the desire to address players’ feedback. Unfortunately, one thing from fans' lengthy wish lists was not addressed in the first half of the season, and that is the implementation of more original 6v6 maps. In fact, players have not seen a 6v6 map that is not a remaster released in over 120 days, which is a startling amount of time. While the drought will soon be over, it does highlight an ongoing issue with the series.
RELATED:Why Traditional Call of Duty Multiplayer is Suffering
Modern Warfare 2 Has Not Released Any New Original 6v6 Map Since Release
WhenModern Warfare 2Season 2 arrived a few weeks ago, it added two “new” maps to the roster: Dome and Valderas Museum. However, fans took issue with Activision calling these new maps, as they come from older entries in the series. Dome is a new version of an original map that already appeared in other installments of the series. It was originally released inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and later it could be played again inCall of Duty: Ghostsas a remake under the name of Unearthed.
And, on the other hand,Valderas Museumwas already available to play in the beta version ofModern Warfare 2, but it was mysteriously removed on the game’s launch day. This map, located in Spain, proved quite controversial, with many players complaining that it was too large for 6v6 gameplay and had too many open lines of sight.
Some fans have speculated that the absence of the map had something to do with its striking resemblance to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. They say that both the exterior and interior appearance was taken by Infinity Ward without the permission of the museum’s management, which caused them to remove the map as the company did not want to get involved in legal issues over copyright.
Either way,Modern Warfare 2fans have pointed out that the title suffers from a lack of content compared to the free-to-play battle royaleWarzone 2and even its DMZ mode. In fact, Activision has not released any original 6v6 maps forModern Warfare 2in the many months that have passed since its launch in October last year. Season 1 added fan-favorite maps, Shoot House and Shipment, but the former was playable inModern Warfare2019 and the latter is found in manyCall of Dutygames.
Fortunately, things could finally be turning around, as the launch of Season 3 Reloaded on March 15 will bring the first original post-launch 6v6 map to the game. Hopefully, the snowy Himmelmatt Expo will be worth the wait. Perhaps Season 3 will prove more fruitful and bring multiple original maps, but overall,Modern Warfare 2’s first few Seasons should be a lesson when crafting futureCall of Dutygames. While remasters are welcome, they should never completely overshadow original content.
Call Of Duty 2023 Could Be More of the Same
While it has been suggested that there may not be a new physical installment in theCall of Dutyseries this year, for the first time in decades, Activision has been emphatic in clarifying that there will be a new premium game, which is expected to be a kind of expansion forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2developed bySledgehammer Games. Apparently, it will inherit all the maps and game modes from the current multiplayer, and it will add a handful of new content, including a fresh campaign, to justify its price tag. Therefore, Activision will not market it as DLC, but as a full-priced installment.
For better or worse, this expansion-like game is also rumored to feature all the maps from 2009’sModern Warfare 2. Considering that 2022’sMW2has already relied too much on remakes, this feels a lot less exciting than it should. Maps like Highrise and Terminal may be beloved, but they too are old, and the current game is in need of some truly new content. While 2024’s release is apparently set to be aPersian Gulf War-inspiredCall of Duty, developed by Treyarch, it seems like remasters could dominate the multiplayer map pools for the next few years.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2: Tips For Completing The Path Of The Ronin Challenges
