Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has three release dates now
Modern Warfare 2’s release calendar expands.
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The first boot of a new Call of Duty game is a crossroads with no right choice: do I jump into the big, flashy campaign headlining the game, or step first unto the virgin grasses of multiplayer, where no meta has yet taken root?
Activisionis making that choice a bit easier for those who buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 early. In a first for the series, those who pre-order will haveearly access to the Modern Warfare 2 campaignon October 20, a full week before the game officially launches on October 28.
On top of early campaign access, pre-ordering comes with a few other perks:
The program mirrors the approach that competitors like EA have taken to incentivize pre-orders and membership programs. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or EA Play members ($5/mo) can play a 10-hour trial of Madden 23 without purchasing the game, for example.
Earlier access to COD’s campaign may not be a huge draw to most players, but I’m more likely to pre-order to get early access to the Modern Warfare 2 beta happening in September (the first few days of which is exclusive to PlayStation players). Activision is really stretching the definition of a “release date” here. Modern Warfare 2 now essentially has three release days:
Staggered releases are an effective technique for sustaining hype across a longer period, but I reckon those jumping into early access on October 20 will be underwhelmed. Launching Modern Warfare to find two-thirds of the game grayed out doesn’t sound like an exciting introduction to the next year of CoD. By the time Halo Infinite’s campaign released a month after its multiplayer, my Halo excitement had already died down.
Not to mention that you probably won’t need a full week to get through Modern Warfare 2’s campaign. If it’s at all similar to the last 15 Calls of Duty, you’ll probably wrap it up in an afternoon or two.
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Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn’t pay him. He’s very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news, reviews, features, the occasional guide, and bad jokes in Slack. Twist his arm, and he’ll even write about a boring strategy game. Please don’t, though.
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