Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the latest game in the series, and reports are suggesting that the developers had to rush through their development time in order to get the game out ‘on time’.
Even in its Early Access version, the campaign had been receiving a lot of negative reviews considering the story to be dull, filler, and disorganized. The criticism is coming from both users and critics and reflects on the rushed development of the game.
Modern Warfare 3 Was Supposedly an Expansion to the Previous Game
According to insider Jason Schreier on Bloomberg, the development process was rushed because Modern Warfare 3 was envisioned to fill the gap in a release schedule that followed the delay of yet another title from the franchise. Originally, the game was pitched to Sledgehammer Games as an expansion to Modern Warfare 2. However, this was morphed into a completely new title during its development period.
Even though an Activision spokesman claimed that Modern Warfare 3 was always a ‘new’ game from the start, many current and former employees said this is different from what they were told previously. In fact, a few of the employees even claimed that they were kept in a dark place and communication was simply not transparent. Meanwhile, other developers were told that the game was supposed to be an expansion. This kind of confusion is concerning.
In an interview, the head of Sledgehammer Games, Aaron Halon admitted that a few people in the team were indeed convinced that Modern Warfare 3 was going to be an expansion to Modern Warfare 2.
Will a Shift in Leadership Might Change Things Down the Line?
There were many employees at Sledgehammer who worked long hours and even during the weekends in order to finish the game on time. This was kind of a ‘trauma response’ to what happened during the development stages of Call of Duty: Vanguard; where workers had to rush through in order to get the game out on time, regardless of keeping the quality or consistency in check.
As a franchise, Call of Duty has garnered a lot of sales over the years, making a hefty $30 billion in revenue over the last 20 years of its existence. Considering how important the series is to Activision, it’s disheartening to see developers forced to bring out games in shorter time periods. According to the report, few employees fear harsh judgment from new corporate owners over the negative reception and shortened development cycle. This is not really something that the studio had in their control.
Unfortunately, Bloomberg analysts claim that even though Modern Warfare 3 may be a disaster, there’s nothing much that will change in the coming years.
I don’t see it having a lasting impact on the franchise or on any of Microsoft’s plans with the franchise even if it is universally panned.
– Kevin Tsao, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence
Originally, Sledgehammer had pitched a project called ‘Anvil’ after Call of Duty: Vanguard. This was somewhat like a sequel to Advanced Warfare, set in the same universe. However, before they could even get started on the project, Modern Warfare 3 came into the picture and the rest is history.
Even with the comeback of Zombies mode and changes to multiplier and single-player modes, there’s no clear saying about what Sledgehammer plans to do next. Given that Microsoft recently teamed up with Inward AI to integrate AI game design elements into games, perhaps development cycles can see a more flexible approach in the future.
For now, we can only hope for the shift in leadership roles over to Xbox Game Studios to set newer deadlines and let developers be free to explore their own creative vision. Otherwise, we’re doomed to expect half-done projects with $70 pricing regardless.
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