On June 7 (local time), following the Xbox Game Showcase at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, Xbox hosted private sessions for global media and creators.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, which recently made headlines for being set in South Korea, held a multiplayer-focused session that we were able to attend. The session consisted of a multiplayer hands-on and a Q&A.

The Q&A featured Geoff Smith, Multiplayer Creative Director at Infinity Ward, and Jack Hoppers, Technical Designer at Infinity Ward.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Multiplayer

The multiplayer hands-on was conducted in two sessions. The first featured a snowy Russian base map, one of twelve 6v6 maps. Each map is designed to support various playstyles, ranging from CQC to open-field engagements.

Modern Warfare 4’s multiplayer offers a realistic and precise combat experience where fluid movement, player choice, and enhanced controls define every engagement. The newly introduced core weapon and gunfight mechanism, 'Ballistic Authority,' delivers authentic gunplay. Additionally, hip-fire spread has been removed, allowing for consistent and predictable shooting.

We also played the new 'Inflation' mode. Inflation is a bounty-style Team Deathmatch mode where the team that eliminates enemy players and collects the most cash wins. Players drop their held cash upon death, and the team that holds the most at the end of the match wins.

Due to the nature of the mode, the final stages—where individual cash holdings are high—led to intense skirmishes. Since a single death can cause a team's total to shift instantly, it was possible to turn the tide of the game in the final seconds.

In particular, situations often arose where everyone converged on a single location to recover dropped cash, leading to multiple deaths in an instant, followed by another scramble for the loot—a tragic yet hilarious cycle. It was so entertaining to watch that even the developers who weren't playing couldn't help but comment on it.

We also checked out the new 'Gunny' system. This customization feature allows players to select their preferred playstyle, and the system automatically combines unlocked attachments to quickly build an effective weapon loadout. This should be helpful for players who find the selection process overly complex.

Apex Attachments,' unlocked by maxing out weapon progression, are new traits that open up additional tactical playstyles, allowing for the evolution of each weapon.

Developer Q&A

Following the brief hands-on, a Q&A session was held to discuss various aspects of Modern Warfare 4.

Regarding new modes like Inflation, the developers stated they intend to avoid releasing too many new modes at once at launch. If too many are provided simultaneously, players might stick to just one or fail to fully experience the fun of each. Consequently, they plan to introduce new modes sequentially so players can experience them one by one.

As for movement, Black Ops' 'Omnimovement' will not be featured. However, the developers were careful to ensure that players accustomed to Omnimovement would not find Modern Warfare 4 slow or frustrating. They focused on reducing unnecessarily sluggish or slow movement while maintaining control responsiveness and a sense of speed.

Conversely, they aimed to maintain a realistic soldier aesthetic in terms of expression. The developers felt that the bold, free-flowing movement of Omnimovement did not align with the aesthetic Modern Warfare strives for. Instead, they introduced animations linked to explosions.

A prime example is the 'Shockwave.' If a player is within an explosion radius but not killed instantly, they are knocked down by the impact. However, they can still aim and fire while downed. For instance, if a player survives a vehicle explosion but is knocked to the ground, they can continue to fight back from that position. The developers explained that this was intended to enhance both cinematic presentation and combat tension.

Modern Warfare 4’s modes appear to have separate progression structures because the developers did not want elements unlocked in multiplayer to carry over directly into DMZ. The intention is to provide a fresh experience of learning and growing from scratch within DMZ.

However, DMZ and multiplayer are not completely isolated. The developers explained that XP earned in DMZ carries over to multiplayer, and multiplayer equipment, killstreaks, and field upgrades can be used in DMZ.

For DMZ, they reflected on lessons learned from the previous DMZ beta. At the time, player progression and replayability were the biggest challenges. Some players found it difficult to know exactly what to do or where to go after entering the game.

Therefore, this DMZ focuses on the aspect of military operations, setting them as the player's primary objectives. In 'Dynamic Operations,' the elements utilized during the process can vary, and the developers aimed to provide this sense of variability.

There was also an attempt to connect single-player and multiplayer through story missions. Players can experience the narrative of DMZ through various events. For example, one might use a method learned in a different mission to open a casino safe.

A stealth system is also newly introduced. An indicator provides directional cues when an enemy soldier is about to spot the player. This system was designed with solo players in mind. The developers confirmed that many users played the previous DMZ alone and designed this to allow them to resolve situations in more diverse ways.

For example, players can infiltrate a base quietly with a suppressed weapon to secure it, or conversely, engage in direct combat and push through with force.

The map structure is also linked to this direction. The developers explained that areas with dense foliage allow players to escape combat or disengage from a fight. Previously, if a firefight broke out, AI and other players would swarm in, easily creating difficult situations for solo players, but this time, players can choose for themselves how much tension they want to take on.

Why Korea was chosen as the setting for this title

Infinity Ward chose Korea as the setting for Modern Warfare 4 for various reasons. The developers mentioned K-dramas and BTS, who recently completed their military service, noting that Korean culture currently holds significant global influence.

At the same time, they combined the tension inherent in the DMZ with a 'what if' scenario, believing it could create an interesting story. Internal presentations covered not only Korea's cultural influence but also military factors such as artillery power, range, and proximity to Seoul.

Military service was also one of the reasons for choosing Korea. While Infinity Ward has focused on special forces-centric stories in recent titles, this time they wanted to return to the perspective of infantry, similar to the old World War II games. In doing so, they aimed to show the shock and overwhelming feeling young infantrymen experience when faced with sudden events, rather than seasoned special forces operatives.

Through Modern Warfare 4, they aim to depict how young soldiers perceive and move forward when faced with massive events right before their eyes.

Infinity Ward has covered the Middle East, Russia, and Eastern Europe extensively in the series, but Korea was a new stage for them. They determined that the combination of Korea's cultural influence, the tension of the DMZ, and new terrain and spatial structures could create an interesting story, and other elements of the game were subsequently expanded around that choice.

There was also a verification process to ensure the accuracy of Korea-related depictions. An internal culture team conducted extensive research on Korean regions and culture. Afterward, the developers went through multiple verification processes to confirm the accuracy and authenticity of the content.

Setting the title numbering '4' to the Korean word 'Sa' (사) was not a simple decision. They conducted extensive research, considering symbolism and other factors. However, the developers explained that they would like players to discover the meaning while playing the game.

Based on the high-intensity military action that is realistic and immersive, characteristic of the Modern Warfare series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is scheduled for release on October 23 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. Players can expect a gameplay experience focused on realism and immersion across the campaign, multiplayer, and DMZ.