In anticipation of the November 10 launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, the Call of Duty: Next event showcases a huge sampling of upcoming content across multiple modes and titles. Starting with Modern Warfare III, viewers will get their first in-depth look at Multiplayer and Zombies, followed by major announcements for both Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile. What a way to celebrate Call of Duty's 20th anniversary!

Plus, immediately after Call of Duty: Next, military esports teams from the U.S., U.K., and Canada join top Call of Duty streamers to compete for the Call Of Duty Endowment Bowl IV presented by USAA, with the winning team taking home the C.O.D.E. Bowl Trophy and bragging rights for their service branch of the military.Modern Warfare III Multiplayer
Modern Warfare III celebrates the 20th anniversary of Call of Duty with one of the greatest collections of Modern Warfare Multiplayer maps ever assembled, including all 16 launch maps from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009).

To introduce Modern Warfare III Multiplayer, Sledgehammer Games developers Greg Reisdorf, Adam Iscove, and Kim Weigend were invited to the stage to present and share a selection of the maps, modes, and new features coming to the game.

Modernizing Classic Multiplayer Maps
The event began with gameplay focused on five of the 16 launch maps from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) that will be available on Day One: Favela, Estate, Skidrow, Rust, and Highrise. All five of the presented maps will be available to play in the Beta.

Sledgehammer Games aims to stay true to what made these maps so special to the Call of Duty community by offering faithful modernizations of the classic experience that players know and love, a great way to celebrate Call of Duty's 20th anniversary.

Through matches of Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint, and Kill Confirmed, we saw how the maps have been graphically modernized while maintaining a high level of authenticity compared to their original versions. With modes like Hardpoint and Kill Confirmed (released after 2009 when the maps originally appeared), players got the chance to see how their favorite modern modes stack up on these classic maps.

For more on the modernization process, see our Intel Drop: Modernizing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) Maps.

More at Launch... : While Next was focused on Core Multiplayer in Modern Warfare III, the studio confirmed that new Ground War maps and a War mode map will launch on Day One, with more info on the way.

... And Post-Launch: Expect at least 12 new Core 6v6 maps in post-launch seasons, including three all-new maps deploying with Season 01 plus three more new maps in Season 02.

New and Returning Gameplay Features
In addition to introducing some of the new features introduced by Modern Warfare III, the developers discussed some returning fan-favorite elements:

Map Voting: Map Voting returns between matches, giving players greater autonomy over their gameplay experience.

Classic Minimap: Series veterans should be right at home with the classic minimap, wherein red dots appear on the map to temporarily show the position of enemies who fire unsuppressed weapons.

Dead Silence: Persistent silent movement returns in the form of boots that can be equipped in one's Loadout, offering stealth advantages to those seeking a low profile.

Increased Health: Core Multiplayer health is being increased to 150 points, thus increasing the Time-to-Kill (TTK).

Movement and Combat Changes
Modern Warfare III features fast, responsive movement, allowing players to swiftly navigate the map in search of their next target and objective.

• Cancel slide and reload animations to quickly adjust your tactics on the fly.
• Mantle objects more quickly and while sprinting.
• Fire immediately while sliding, including a Perk that allows aiming down sights (ADS) while sliding.
• Increased Tactical Sprint duration. Tactical Sprint recharges while sprinting.
• Increased base strafe speeds while ADS.
• Tac-Stance: Toggle in and out of the new Tac-Stance at any time, a perfect middle ground between Hip Fire and ADS. Tac-Stance balances mobility with accuracy for more aggressive play with supported weaponry, dramatically increasing ADS movement speed while introducing bullet spread. Operators can fire in Tac-Stance while sliding as well.

Weapons and Operators
As mentioned in our Carry Forward article, your inventory from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will carry forward into Modern Warfare III. That said, a whole slate of brand-new weapons and Operators are also being developed for Modern Warfare III, including the Rival 9 SMG, Longbow Sniper Rifle, and Warden Kortac Operator

Loadouts: New Gear
Perks are active from the moment the match begins to the end, now represented across four different categories: Vest, Gloves, Boots, and Gear. The items you pick in these categories supply your Operators with various Perk-like abilities. They do not modify your Operator's appearance in-game, so you can choose the items that offer the best playstyle benefits without effecting your style.

• Vests: Equip a variety of Vests that offer special abilities in addition to determining which kinds of items are able to be equipped within your Loadout. For example, the Engineer Vest disables Lethal Equipment, but provides two Tactical Equipment pieces and an extra Gear slot.
• Gloves: Adjust your weapon and Equipment handling with Gloves that increase weapon swap speed, allow you to throw equipment farther, reload while sprinting, and more.
• Boots: Further enhance your mobility options with Boots that eliminate footstep sounds, increase climbing and mantling speed, and more.
• Gear: The Gear slot features a greater variety of items that affect your Operator, from EOD Padding that reduces non-Killstreak explosive and fire damage to the Bone Conduction Headset, which reduces combat noise for improved identification of enemy footsteps and gunshots.

Aftermarket Parts
A new feature coming to Gunsmith and Loadouts is Aftermarket Parts, which allow players to dramatically alter the function of a weapon beyond the effect of attachments unlocked in the normal course of Gunsmith.

Aftermarket Parts introduce new progression paths for weapon leveling that offer truly unique weapon configurations for enhanced playstyle customization. To access this new feature, players must first obtain a supported weapon's max level and then complete an in-game challenge to unlock the new gear.

From converting an LMG into a bullpup design for more aggressive play to using 3D-printed parts to transform a Handgun into an SMG, Aftermarket Parts turn everything you know about your most familiar weapons on their head. Read more about the feature in our Aftermarket Parts blog.

Equipment
Players were also given a peek into some new items coming to Modern Warfare III Loadouts, including:

Breacher Drone (Lethal Equipment): Deploy a slow-moving explosive drone that explodes on proximity to an enemy or on impact. The Breacher Drone can be countered by EOD Padding or shot out of its flight path before reaching its destination. According to Sledgehammer Games' playtest sessions, this is one of the most fun new Equipment additions.

Mosquito Drone (Killstreak): Deploy an explosive drone that circles the area where it's launched, dive-bombing onto approaching enemies. Listen for audio and visual cues on the receiving end of this Killstreak to pinpoint and destroy it.

A.C.S. (Field Upgrade): Toss the Automated Computer Spike onto objective points to contribute to your team's score without taking yourself out of the action. The A.C.S. also hacks enemy Equipment, turning a deployable item against its original owner.

Comm Scrambler (Field Upgrade): Deny enemy Killstreaks and Field Upgrades from being used within the vicinity of the Comms Scrambler. Its area of effect is clearly visible on the minimap; enemies can choose to play around its vicinity or target the item directly to get rid of it. In addition, teammates are hidden from enemy UAV pings while in range of a friendly Comms Scrambler.

Game Modes: Cutthroat, Ground War, War
After showing off some classic 6v6 Core matches, the Sledgehammer Games developers turned to the new Cutthroat game mode, along with confirmation on the return of Ground War and War.

Cutthroat: A brand-new mode to the franchise, Cutthroat introduces 3v3v3 action on Core Multiplayer maps. Operators have only one life per round; eliminate the enemy teams or capture the overtime flag to win the round. Will you charge in gunning for everyone, or let the other two teams whittle each other down first? The opportunities are endless in this new chaotic mode arriving at launch.

Ground War: Players who love large-scale Multiplayer battles will be glad to know that Ground War is returning in Modern Warfare III. Compete in sections of the map that players will experience later this year in Call of Duty: Warzone.

War Mode: War mode is back! In this classic mode that was originally featured in Call of Duty: WWII (2017), players enter a vast, purpose-built landscape, with the focus on competing in linear engagements and progressing the battle through a series of objectives. Secure capture points, escort an armed tank, and launch an ICBM - this is War.

Modern Warfare Zombies
Special guests Kevin Drew and Miles Leslie of Treyarch joined the presenters at Call of Duty: Next to reveal Modern Warfare III's third game mode: Zombies.

For the first time in franchise history, the beloved Zombies game mode will be fully featured in the Modern Warfare universe! In this iteration, teams of players will cooperate in an open-world, pure player-versus-environment (PvE) setting featuring multiple squads who can work together (or go their own way) when facing down multiple threats, masses of the shambling undead, and clandestine enemy forces in an increasingly terrifying series of hostile environments!

In this extraction-based mode, beware of the expanding Aether Storm which will consume the map as the match progresses. Work together, move fast, and dig deeper into the Dark Aether narrative.


For New and Veteran Slayers Alike
For new players, there's never been a better time to become a Zombies fan. With vehicle support to navigate the map more quickly, more enemy density than ever before, and multiple squads working together toward a common objective - to contain and prevent the outbreak from spreading - there's plenty to look forward to as a fresh player, including a series of rewards and upgrades specific to this mode.

Returning fans will feel right at home with core Zombies features, including the escalating tension as the match progresses, as well as classic features like Pack-A-Punch, Perk Colas, the Mystery Box and Wonder Weapon. And, perhaps most important of all, there are new secrets to discover... which you'll have to find on your own.

Replayability: In the extraction-based gameplay featured in this iteration, players will be able to store and use weapons they've successfully exfilled within their future matches, including fan favorites like the Ray Gun. For the first time ever, you'll be able to start future matches with these classic weapons!

Throughout the map, players will additionally find blueprints that allow them to create acquisitions outside of the match, providing benefits like starting a deployment with Juggernog.

Enemies, Both Living and Undead
Zombies features much greater enemy density this time around, and it's not just the undead you'll be fighting. Battle against mercenary soldiers working for the Terminus Outcomes PMC hired by the main antagonist Viktor Zakhaev. In addition to a variety of undead and otherworldly creatures, prepare to face one of the biggest Zombies creatures to ever appear in the mode.

For more on the Zombies narrative, see our article on Operation Deadbolt.