There comes a time in every year where the latest Call of Duty comes under fire or critique, but without fail, each and every year a new installment releases to new records for the series and top of the charts sales numbers. This year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is no exception; in fact, Activision has recently announced that Modern Warfare is the most played entry in the franchise to release this generation, despite some issues with balance, spawns, and Spec Ops.
After the online-only Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 released last year without a campaign mode, Modern Warfare had a lot going for it from the start. A reboot of the Modern Warfare from series creator Infinity Ward, a complete single-player campaign mode, the return of fan-favorite characters like Captain Price, and the complete removal of DLC map packs and loot boxes gave the game a huge headstart. But one thing that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was missing from last year's installment was a Battle Royale mode and the rumors of one coming down the line never seem to end. Could Modern Warfare really be getting a Battle Royale mode? Let’s take a look at the leaks and rumors so far.
All of the Battle Royale Rumors
The first set of actual rumors, excluding any sort of rumor by expectation following Black Ops 4’s Battle Royale mode, arrived not long after the official Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reveal. A YouTuber by the name of TheGamingRevolution has long been associated with Call of Duty leaks and rumors, claimed as far back as June 2019 that Modern Warfare would be getting a 200 player Battle Royale, played on a new map that combines multiple Spec Ops locations, and is roughly three times the size of the Blackout map.
Back in August, YouTuber LongSensation posted a Tweet claiming that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare would be getting it’s own Battle Royale mode, long after the core modes had already been confirmed. The post stated the Battle Royale mode would release in “early 2020” as a separate download that would be a free update to all players whether they owned Modern Warfare or not. At the time, this added a lot of credibility to Battle Royale rumors, as LongSensation’s previously leaked the name, Modern Warfare.
All of the Battle Royale Leaks
When it comes to leaks, the biggest leak for the Battle Royale mode came just last month when Reddit user Senescallo revealed a bunch of new information obtained from datamined Modern Warfare files. The new leak revealed the full Battle Royale map as well as each of the zones, points of interest, player settings, and other new details.
Most notably, Modern Warfare’s Battle Royale is said to have a player count of 200, double the size of Black Ops 4, and includes a number of new features called Respawn Tokens, Missions, Plunder, and Gulag. Respawn Tokens can be looted and are a one-time use consumable that can be used to revive fallen teammates. Using a Token sends the downed player to the Gulag, a “king of the hill” style gauntlet where players compete in a 1v1 match and the winner is revived. Missions can be looted by locating tablets around the map and require players to complete set objectives such as capturing a zone or killing a certain player in exchange for Plunder, a new currency that can be converted to XP.
Following last month's leak, another Reddit user by the name of KingBreezoR has managed to glitch into the Battle Royale map, seemingly confirming the mode isn’t far away now. By entering the spectating feature in a private match on the map Vacant, he was able to explore the outer regions as the Battle Royale map is made up of multiple Ground War and Spec Ops map locations combined into one much larger map.
Despite the incredible success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, one of the biggest concerns in Infinity Ward releasing the second Call of Duty Battle Royale comes down to whether or not there’s room in the current landscape of games to support it. Outside of the recent bump for the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker event, Fortnite’s player numbers aren’t what they used to be, and developer Daybreak just announced that Planetside Arena will be shutting down next month, four months after its September 2019 release.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon and it’s no doubt that if the game did receive a Battle Royale mode, that players will flock to it because it’s Call of Duty. However, releasing a Battle Royale this long after launch and in a packed first quarter of 2020 may likely hinder the success it could’ve gotten at launch. It remains to be seen how this plays out, but if these rumors are true, players should expect to see it soon.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.