Let’s get this out of the way: no Russian will not be included in the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II† In fact, the game penalizes friendly fire and fails players who shoot civilians during combat.
This is in stark contrast to the No Russian mission from the original Modern Warfare IIreleased in 2009 – in this level, players were tasked with making their way through a crowded airport, killing civilians en masse next to a Russian terrorist organization. The main character was undercover trying to infiltrate the cell for the CIA, and while it was possible to skip this part or play it without firing a single shot, the fictional peer pressure to kill as many people as possible was strong.
No Russian caused serious controversy with the release of Modern Warfare II† While Call of Duty has made billions gaming the horrors of war, many players objected to the idea of a mass shooter role-playing game targeting unarmed civilians. The mission came with a content warning in the US and was censored internationally. Infinity Ward and Activision were forced to publicly justify its inclusion, as opposed to the idea that it was tone-deaf, ham-fisted, and unnecessarily disturbing.
With the 2022 version of Modern Warfare II, Infinity Ward avoids the conversation altogether. In response to the question, “Can you confirm if the No Russian mission will be included in the new game in any form?” an Activision spokesperson commented:
“No. There are NPC civilians in the game, but you will be penalized for friendly fire. If civilians get caught in the crossfire, players automatically get a mission that fails.”
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This fits the overall atmosphere of the new Modern Warfare II† During a media briefing prior to the unveiling, Infinity Ward developers emphasized the game’s entertainment value over serious war themes, at one point using the phrase “fun for all.” They said they wanted this Modern Warfare II to be realistic, yet ‘cool’. Without specifically mentioning No Russian, developers said the aim of the original game was to be provocative, while this year’s version was supposed to be heroic.
Of Modern Warfare II, Infinity Ward sticks to the fun bits of war. The game still deals with real-world themes of organized violence, large-scale military action, and shadowy terrorist groups — but no kidding, I’ve never heard Call of Duty developers use the word “nice” so freely in a pre-release briefing.
This could be because Modern Warfare II marks the beginning of a new approach to Call of Duty for Activision, with critical implications for the future of war zone specifically. When the next version of Warzone comes out after October of this year, it will bring the AI improvements, new vehicle behavior and improved physics of Modern Warfare IIand both games will run on the same engine.
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“An all-new Warzone is launched as an extension of the… Modern Warfare II universe,” said an Activision spokesperson. “With this comes new technology, new features and new gameplay that work together seamlessly…. To fully deliver this state-of-the-art experience, Warzone 2.0 will contain new ones Modern Warfare II content and systems with brand new progression and inventories. Today war zone will continue as a separate experience that includes a continuation of player progression and inventories within it war zone experience.”
Modern Warfare II will be published on October 28. Warzone 2.0 should land soon after, according to Activision.
Modern Warfare II is a sequel to 2019 Modern Warfare, which rebooted the series but kept familiar themes and characters like Captain John Price. The new game follows Price’s Task Force 141 and Mexican Special Forces as they attempt to thwart terrorist plans around the world.
“We love to tell stories,” said Brian Bloom, Infinity Ward’s lead writer. “Story is character and character is story, and that’s writing that writers sometimes say internally, but it comes down to a simple thing. If you have a conspiracy, who is in it, what happens?”