Highlights
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is launching with remastered versions of classic maps, which brings a sense of nostalgia and excitement for fans.
- While the remastered maps are a positive aspect, the game's lack of original 6v6 maps on release is a step back for the franchise.
- Sledgehammer and Activision are banking on nostalgia to mask the shortcoming, but a new Call of Duty game should come with its own set of original maps to offer a fresh experience.
There are few things in the gaming world that people can rely on, but one constant is that every year a new Call of Duty game will release, and 2023 is no different. Despite a ton of rumors suggesting that 2023 would be the first year since 2005 with no full Call of Duty release, Activision has since proven that false, announcing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 just a few weeks ago. Activision and Sledgehammer Games promise that this is a fully-fledged, "premium" Call of Duty release, but some fans aren't totally convinced.
Before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was announced, countless rumors and leaks suggested that 2023's entry would be a smaller-scope expansion, delivering a campaign that carried on from the events of Modern Warfare 2, and brought a few new gameplay features to multiplayer. While Modern Warfare 3 is being touted and priced as a full release, there are certain signs that might suggest those rumors were true, and Modern Warfare 3's approach to its multiplayer maps is certainly one of those.
Launching With Remastered Maps Only Shouldn't Be a New Call of Duty Staple
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is launching with 16 6v6 multiplayer maps, all of which are remastered versions of classic Modern Warfare 2 2009 maps. This decision is a pretty huge one, and it has both its great upsides and great downsides. On the more positive side of things, Modern Warfare 3 launching with 16 6v6 maps right out of the gate is an excellent thing, and the fact that they're all tried-and-tested, mostly beloved maps only serves to make Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer more exciting.
It's not just quantity and quality that Modern Warfare 3's remastered maps are bringing, but also a refreshed sense of nostalgia. Many long-time Call of Duty fans will harbor a great deal of nostalgia for most of these remastered maps, and the chance to see those with modern graphics is likely more than enough for many fans to drop the cash on Modern Warfare 3. It also helps that each map has been remade with Modern Warfare 3's mechanics in mind, with some new gameplay features like interactive doors being placed on some maps to give them a fresh twist.
But on the more negative side of things, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will have no original 6v6 maps on release, and that's not a standard that should be set going forward. While Sledgehammer has stated that original 6v6 maps will be coming in post-launch updates, there's no word on when they'll start to appear. One of the biggest criticisms of last year's Modern Warfare 2 was its lack of new 6v6 maps in post-launch updates, and now Modern Warfare 3 isn't even releasing with any. This seems like a pretty huge step back for Call of Duty, but Sledgehammer and Activision are masking the shortcoming with nostalgia, and it seems to be working for them.
While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's remastered maps are sure to be excellent, and a great trip down memory lane for nostalgic fans, they shouldn't be the only 6v6 maps in the game. At the end of the day, this is a new Call of Duty, and a new Call of Duty should bring its own set of original maps to the table. After all, Modern Warfare 3 wouldn't have any maps to remaster if previous titles like 2009's Modern Warfare 2 hadn't put in the work all those years ago. Even if a new CoD's original maps aren't that great, they still offer a new experience, and that's what a new game should do.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches on November 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
