One of the trends which appear to be cropping up across some of the game industry’s biggest franchises is creating a sort of umbrella approach to game accessibility, and it seemsCall of Dutymay be following this trend if the new start screen forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is any indication. The game’s start screen at launch put the sequel toInfinity Ward’s 2019Modern Warfarerebootfront-and-center for all players to see before jumping into either the campaign or multiplayer. However, the latest update for the game brought with it a change to the start screen, dropping all mention of the latest title for it to simply readCall of Duty.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, as mentioned above, is the sequel in the rebooted series from Infinity Ward and picks up from the end of the 2019 game’s campaign. The sequel follows Task Force 141, headed by Captain John Price, as they investigate a potential terrorist threat operating in tandem with a notorious Mexican drug cartel, forcing the team to join forces with an elite Mexican special forces unit. On the multiplayer-side, modes have been split between the smaller Core Map Modes, which offers the more traditional 6v6 gameplay the series is known for, and the 32v32 Battle Map Modes, which serves as the series' take on big map multiplayer.
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The latest update brought with it a large amount of bug fixes,UI improvements, and a handful of gameplay changes, but among these was the aforementioned change to the game’s star screen. Reddit user Zoluh was one of the first players to notice this change and was quick to post it to theModern Warfare 2subreddit. The start screen now simply readsCall of Dutyin large font and in the center of the screen before a player can jump into the main menu.
An argument some players could make is this reflects the ongoing move by the franchise to adopt a hub-style system with access to multipleCall of Dutytitles. It has been present in the games since 2019’sModern Warfareto offer a separate access point to thefree-to-playWarzone, and subsequent titlesBlack Ops: Cold WarandVanguardfollowed suit. It could potentially give players easier access to multipleCall of Dutytitles in one space and not force them to purchase any entries they may not have an interest in.
The idea is one that could become more commonplace in the near future if more major franchises adopt hub systems for games, such as Ubisoft’s plans forAssassin’s Creed. During the September 2022 reveal for several upcoming titles includingMirage,Codename Red, andCodename Hexe, Ubisoft also announcedAssassin’s Creed Infinity, which will serve as a hub for the franchise whenCodename Redreleases and give players access to otherAssassin’s Creedgames and content. IfCall of Dutyis moving in a similar direction, it could prove to be enough for the concept to crop up all over the games industry.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is currently available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
