The current release of Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 3, has a bad reputation and the lowest rating a Call of Duty has ever received on Metacritic. But is the shooter better than the negative reviews on Metacritic suggest? A journalist from Forbes claims so, and Activision Blizzard agrees: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is currently performing better than its predecessor in 2023.
What is the problem with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3?
- Every year a new Call of Duty is released. In reviews, the games usually land somewhere between 78 and 88 %.
- However, the current Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was harshly criticized by reviewers with only 56 % (PS5). This is the lowest score a “real” Call of Duty has ever received – only mobile ports have been rated worse by international gaming press.
- The general sentiment about the current Call of Duty: Weak campaign, essentially just an “update”, a map pack for Modern Warfare 2, not enough new content for the price.
Journalist says: Weak campaign, but strong multiplayer
What is the counterargument? The US site Forbes states: The critics were wrong about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
While the criticism about the release state is correct and the campaign is weak, Modern Warfare 3 excels where it matters: in multiplayer mode.
Sledgehammer Games has also delivered and supported the game with strong new maps in the first 3 seasons: 15 new maps have been added to the 16 release maps effectively doubling the number of playable maps at launch.
Additionally, the developers provided a lot of weapons, attachments and perks. The mechanics are noticeably different from Modern Warfare 2, even if they feel similar.
Journalist calls Modern Warfare 3 the “best Call of Duty in years”
Call of Duty Modern Warfare is not a “map pack”; the complete overhaul of player movement, Uplay, and perks contradicts that.
Forbes concludes: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is significantly better than its reputation and what the negative reviews suggested. It had a weak start, but the developers now deserve recognition.
They have created the “best Call of Duty” in recent years. Especially the “3v3v3 Cutthroat Mode” is great and offers a fantastic multiplayer experience.
Activision Blizzard says: Player engagement has increased
What does Activision Blizzard say? They seem grateful that someone is defending their disparaged Modern Warfare 3. In a statement to Forbes, they said:
We really enjoy supporting the Call of Duty community. The teams have enjoyed engaging with our players and creating high-quality new experiences for them. Player engagement has increased, and more players are playing now than at this time last year.
Activision Blizzard
Data shows: Lower hype at release, but higher consistency
What does the data say? We don’t know player numbers for Call of Duty, but we can get a sense of where the shooter giant currently stands through Google Trends. Google Trends reflects global interest in a brand:
- The last major hype for Call of Duty was in October 2022, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released.
- This enthusiasm could not be matched by Modern Warfare 3. The release of Modern Warfare 2 was the peak of the last 2 years. Modern Warfare 3 reached only about 73 % of this peak worldwide.
- Nevertheless, Activision Blizzard’s statement holds true: From February 2023 to mid-July 2023, Call of Duty fell into quite a hole as players lost interest (42 % of the release hype in the last week of March 2023).
At the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in November 2023, it was the case that the release of Modern Warfare 3 did not create the same hype as its predecessor, yet the interest has remained longer. And the game did not fall into a spring slump after release as distinctly as its predecessor:
- In the last week of March 2024, Call of Duty had 53 % of the release hype of Modern Warfare 2, which is 10 % higher than its predecessor in the same time frame.
The data supports Activision Blizzard’s statement: While the hype around Call of Duty at release was weaker than the previous year, it is now a bit more consistent.
According to the data, interest in Call of Duty is slightly higher compared to the previous year at the same time, but only by a little.
The development of service games often determines how consistent a game is after release. However, the performance of an esports athlete is assessed by different factors:
Call of Duty: Esport professional exposes colleague who smokes weed and plays high
