A small update on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered hit the web last weekend, a little over five weeks ahead of the game’s return to PC and consoles. It might not seem like much at first glance. But the latest word on COD:MWR is the first potential indicator that those hoping to see the game released separately from Infinite Warfare, a project that has failed to capture the excitement of the Call of Duty community, might not get their wish.
It probably took a few months longer than it should’ve, given the harsh criticism that followed the game’s announcement, but Activision finally seems to realize many CoD fans aren’t excited for this year’s addition to the franchise. As such, the marketing for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare has pivoted pretty hard in recent weeks, focusing as much (if not more) on the free HD remaster of Modern Warfare being included with certain versions of Infinite Warfare. That includes launching a new section of the Call of Duty website, dedicated entirely to Modern Warfare Remastered, and several trailers for a project Activision claims won’t get a standalone release.
Unfortunately, for anyone planning to ditch Infinite Warfare after claiming their copy of Modern Warfare, the new sub-section of the CoD website has some bad news. Despite being a digital download, instead of on-disc content, it seems those who purchase physical copies of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will need to leave that disc in their PC or console when playing Modern Warfare Remastered. The requirement is presumably intended to curb early trade-ins of Infinite Warfare but it won’t apply to everyone in the Call of Duty community.
For obvious reasons, the disc requirement won’t impact those who purchase digital copies of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. However, it’s probably not crazy to assume Activision has a plan for those planning they can abuse a digital distributor’s refund policy to get their copy of Modern Warfare Remastered and avoid being saddled with a copy of Infinite Warfare. The publisher has yet to make such announcement but Activision is clearly aware of it’s interest problem. But the company still has a bottom line to protect so you can pretty much count on Activision doing whatever it can to ensure MWR hype doesn’t dilute Infinite Warfare’s sales.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is a free add-on for certain versions of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare . Both are in development for PS4, Xbox One and PC, with simultaneous debuts currently scheduled for Nov. 4.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered coverage throughout 2016 and for however long Infinity Ward supports Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered after launch.
