Since the announcement of the forthcomingCall of Duty: Modern Warfare, there has been frequent indication that the game is interested in offering a hyperrealistic portrayal of the atrocities surrounding violent conflicts. Indeed, players that have gotten a closer look at the title have detailed some grisly moments, includingModern Warfare’s child solider mission. These depictions of extreme violence have already begun to spawn some controversy, and a formerCall of Dutydev has given his thoughts on the matter.
Michael Condrey is a co-founder and former studio head of Sledgehammer Games, a studio that worked on the development of titles likeCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, andCall of Duty: WWII. In a recent interview with GamesBeat, Condrey was questioned about his opinions on the reactions that some are having to previews ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare, and his response was that the game “seems like a tough challenge for any studio.”
According to Condrey, part of this challenge comes from attempting to root the newModern Warfarein the reality of today’s world. Condrey explains that, withModern Warfare 3, the goal was to focus on “intense conflict” but that its universe was “also very clearly fictional.” This seems to suggest that Condrey believes thatModernWarfare, by contrast, will attempt to exist in the actuality of a world that he says has “changed a lot” since the release ofModern Warfare 3, and he references “events like Sandy Hook, Las Vegas, and Christchurch” to make this point.
Additionally, Condrey indicates that challenges come by setting the game in the modern Middle East. “The creative challenges of realistic ‘modern warfare’ are complex. Western ‘heroes’ killing ‘villains’ in the Middle East simply isn’t good enough,” he says of the hurdles that this setting creates. He citesAdvanced Warfare, a game that focused around a “fictional antagonist threat,” to demonstrate his thoughts on an alternative approach that somewhat sidesteps this challenge.
Finally, Condrey states thatModern Warfarecould be an especially tough challenge “if [the developer is] being pushed by publishing to be more controversial and ‘darker’ for the sake of headlines.” It is not clear if Condrey is simply proposing a possible scenario or believes that Activision is actively creating such a situation, but this statement is certain to raise some eyebrows.
While it remains to be seen ifModern Warfareis, ultimately, able to overcome the challenges articulated by Condrey, there is definitely a great deal of excitement surrounding the title already. Indeed,Call of Duty: Modern WarfarewasGameStop’s most pre-ordered game during E3 2019, but only time will tell how its gruesome content lands for players as more of it is officially revealed to the public.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfarewill launch on October 25 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
