Highlights
- Activision announces a content 'carry forward' system for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, allowing players to transfer their MW2 content to the new game.
- While this is great news for MW2 players, the sheer amount of content being carried over may lead to confusion and an unbalanced multiplayer experience.
- The Modern Warfare series has already been criticized for its overwhelming amount of content, and the carry forward system may exacerbate this issue in MW3.
More and more is becoming known about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, with fans not having long to wait before the game's November release. Many have raised issues with how closely the title is set to launch following its predecessor, with Modern Warfare 2 only having released last year.
It appears that Activision has taken this into account with the announcement of a content 'carry forward' system for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. This system aims to create a seamless transition between the content of Modern Warfare 2 and MW3, yet the sheer volume of this content may bring about an equally frustrating issue for the upcoming installment.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Content Carry Forward System
Call of Duty recently confirmed that the Sledgehammer Games-led Modern Warfare 3 will allow fans to carry over a lot of the multiplayer content of the recent Modern Warfare 2. This means that returning players will have full access to their previously unlocked operators, operator skins, in-store bundles, weapon camos, and essentially all other cosmetic content.
This is fantastic news for dedicated players of MW2, who otherwise would have had a lackluster single year to enjoy their purchased content. When considering how MW2 is still offering a wide range of in-game purchases, it is a smart move on Activision's part to remove any worry of these purchases becoming irrelevant when Modern Warfare 3 launches in November.
Modern Warfare 3 progression will also work in tandem with Call of Duty Mobile as well as the recently launched new iteration of Warzone. This kind of undertaking is a franchise first for Call of Duty, showcasing the peculiarity of two successive games launching so close to one another. While there are a lot of obvious consumer benefits in carrying over content from MW2 to MW3, there is a significant downside to this feature that may be detrimental to the overall flow of the upcoming release.
The Issue with Modern Warfare 3's Content Carry Over System
The immediate issue with Modern Warfare 3's carry over system is the sheer amount of content it will foster for the new release. From launch, Modern Warfare 3 will have to contend with two games worth of operators, weapons, camos, and even calling cards to deal with.
One negative aspect of this is the level of confusion that it may cause for new players, especially those who did not engage with Modern Warfare 2. With Call of Duty's multiplayer already being in its most complex form, the addition of so much content from an entirely different release may serve to muddy the impact of MW3's own content.
Another negative element of the carry forward system is how it may come to the detriment of weapon balancing. Specific guns and equipment are often buffed or nerfed in CoD to create a more balanced state of play, and throwing two titles worth of weapons into a single multiplayer mode may cause havoc with achieving this. The Modern Warfare reboot has long-faced criticism for its congested interface and overwhelming amount of additional content, and it is clear to see how the carry forward system will serve to exasperate this.
Of course, Modern Warfare 3's content carry forward is ambitious and will serve as an overall net positive from the consumer's point of view. Despite this, it is hard to ignore how bloated and confusing MW3 may feel as a direct result.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches on November 10.