Call of Duty releases march onward, and after last year's Call of Duty: Vanguard, 2022's Call of Duty approaches, Infinity Ward's follow-up to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022), is coming, so in this article, we'll break down Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)'s release date, details, rumors, leaks, and more.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)'s Release Date
We don't have an official release date, but we do know Modern Warfare II is Infinity Ward's follow-up to Modern Warfare (2019) and 2022's Call of Duty release. Call of Duty releases do vary a bit in terms of when they drop, but it's very likely to be this November.
In the months leading up to November 2022, we'll likely see more and more official details and gameplay revealed alongside multiplayer tests and betas as has become a tradition for Call of Duty games. Though, like Call of Duty games, if there is a beta for Modern Warfare II, it's likely to be more of an advertisement for the game than an actual, in-development beta looking for player feedback.
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While we don't know anything for sure yet, Call of Duty releases are a staple of the gaming world. While 2023 will be different with Call of Duty delaying its mainline title into 2024, 2022 likely won't be too different from what we already know.
As things get announced, we'll update this article with the latest information.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) Details
Modern Warfare II is a follow-up to Modern Warfare (2019), but it's also a spiritual successor to the original Modern Warfare 2 from back in 2009 like Modern Warfare (2019) was a spiritual successor to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as well as a soft reboot of the Modern Warfare franchise.
As is to be expected, Modern Warfare II is reported to re-use Modern Warfare (2019)'s engine but rather the upgraded next-generation version of this engine. Infinity Ward tends to set the tone for the Call of Duty engine and its various technical achievements, so Modern Warfare II will likely move the series forward graphically in a major way.
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Call of Duty: Vanguard also used an upgraded version of Modern Warfare (2019)'s engine, but is likely more of a forked version of Modern Warfare (2019)'s engine rather than a true evolution of it. Suffice it to say we can expect more from the graphics and performance of Modern Warfare II.
Warzone 2 is also on the way, and as Warzone was originally the product of Infinity Ward as a part of Modern Warfare (2019), Warzone 2 is reported to use this next generation of the Modern Warfare engine as well and be developed by Infinity Ward alongside Raven Software, who have maintained Warzone for years while Infinity Ward works on the studio's next game.
In the context of Call of Duty 2023 being delayed into 2024 leaving 2023 without a mainline Call of Duty release, Modern Warfare II will reportedly be supported for two years with regular content updates. This won't necessarily be the first time in Call of Duty history this has happened, as Black Ops Cold War is still receiving updates even today, but it's likely to be more regular, full-featured year two support than we've ever seen before.
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This means, almost inevitably, the roster of Modern Warfare II's weapons, maps, modes, and everything else will eventually expand to be the largest we've ever seen in Call of Duty history if the game is to truly get two full years of support.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) Rumors and Leaks
Rumors and leaks suggest Modern Warfare II, in some context, will cover the U.S. drug war with South American cartels, though in what ways, exactly, this will happen is currently unknown. Likely this is more of a campaign rumor than it really has to do with multiplayer outside of possible maps.
As far as maps go, even fans of Modern Warfare (2019) had many problems with the game's maps. Maps in the game were often so large, complicated, and filled with camping spots and hidey holes that they would become a campy chore to play. Modern Warfare II is rumored to address this problem by way of more traditional Call of Duty maps.
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Another key issue with Modern Warfare (2019) was its gameplay design. Choices like unsuppressed weapons not appearing on the minimap were extremely controversial in Modern Warfare. Most disliked the more tactical slant of the game. Design decisions like these are rumored to be changing in Modern Warfare II.
SBMM is another major issue in the world of Call of Duty. Essentially, the game's matchmaking system tries to pair you up against players of a similar skill without a dedicated ELO system like is familiar. In short, this doesn't work very well, and most Call of Duty fans strongly dislike the system's implementation.
In Modern Warfare II, SBMM is rumored to be reworked. Not removed, but be reworked to be less intense and have less of a role in the gameplay experience of matchmaking. This would likely come as a relief to many Call of Duty fans who have been crying out for a change like this for years.
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