'Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2', 'Modern Warfare 3' Re-Release: How Are They Different From Reboots?

Activision Blizzard has gained significant success with "Call of Duty" games over the years, particularly with some of its most beloved sub-franchises, such as "Modern Warfare," and there are talks that a re-release is being considered.

However, it is important to note that these rumors are being floated near the last two releases of the franchise that focused on the same games.

That being said, the rumors have led to discussion about the fine line between a re-release and a reboot, particularly as there are more aspects of the game that missed out on its modern re-introduction to the audience.

'Call of Duty MWII,' 'MWIII' Re-Release Rumors

ComicBook Gaming reported that there are two games from the "COD" franchise that were spotted by the Australian Classification Board, and these are hinting new re-releases from the series. However, the most surprising part is that Activision Blizzard has decided these re-releases to be titles from more recent games.

In the list of reviewed games, there is the "MW2 - Cross-Gen Edition" and the "MW3 - Cross-Gen Edition." That being said, nothing more was revealed by the classification board.

While it did not reveal when the games would be available, typical "Call of Duty" games would release in three months after it received its rating and classification, with the board giving it the MA 15+ rating, similar to the United States' Entertainment Software Rating Board's (ESRB) Mature (M) rating.

Speculations revealed that there may be a surprise from Activision Blizzard as these games popping up on the Australian Classification Board's listing, but so far, there is no official word yet from the studio.

The re-releases were also reported to be heading to the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and the Xbox Series S and X.

The Reboot Is Different From the Re-Release

However, the most confusing thing now is that these two games rumored for an upcoming re-release were already remastered by Activision Blizzard and their partners for modern platforms.

There was the "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II" that was released in 2022, and it was immediately followed by the 2023 release of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III." But it is known that these two titles are remasters of the original games, and that both of these only focused on remastering the games' story campaigns.

It has been said that these recent remasters are also referred to as reboots of the original games, which focused on changing the game to bring the classic experiences to the modern platforms and is different from a re-release. On the other hand, a re-release would focus on capturing the original experiences and features of the same game, but this time, for newer platforms.

While the 2022 and 2023 releases of "Call of Duty's" mainline franchise focused on the story campaigns only, the new "MW2 - Cross-Gen Edition" and "MW3 - Cross-Gen Edition" are reportedly bringing "online interactivity" from its original state to its modern re-releases.