Modern Warfare 2 players fear live service model could “ruin” the game

Alec Mullins
oni operator in cod modern warfare 2 and warzone 2

Modern Warfare 2 players have gathered to share their feeling that Call of Duty’s live service model could “ruin” not only MW2 but the franchise as a whole.

The conversation around Call of Duty is often viewed as a doom-and-gloom type of experience by those within the fanbase.

Every year that goes by, more ‘it’s not like it was’ conversations seem to take over on social media, with players fearing the worst for their beloved franchise.

Modern Warfare 2 hasn’t broken that trend despite its enormous sales numbers on launch, as many have begun to blame the live service model for changing both the game and the expectations around it.

Modern Warfare 2 players concerned over “live service model”

The most recent instance of this conversation began with a player theorizing that Shipment players will eventually make enough noise that Call of Duty will abandon their signature large maps in favor of smaller arenas with faster engagements.

Things only got more interesting when another player suggested that it’s not the players that make Shipment so popular, but instead, it’s the live service model in effect.

“I played a lot of CoD 4 and barely remember playing shipment in normal modes,” they responded. “My guess is that the appeal increased when CoD went with the “Live Service” model since shipment makes it easier/faster to progress.”

A third commenter suggested that Infinity Ward and the other Call of Duty studios simply need to scale back on their Battle Pass and challenge completion expectations to ease some of that pressure. “A lot of the issues could be solved by reworking the grind. These devs tie the grind to things that are very difficult to achieve in normal organic playing.”

Players from other threads have also backed up the notion that Shipment is a great addition in small doses, but that making it a 24/7 playlist or constantly adding ‘Shoot The Ship’ is only necessary to solve problems that could be prevented with developer interference.

For now, Modern Warfare 2 continues to rake in the money, and even with reports that fewer people are playing the game than was projected last year, it’s safe to say that it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

About The Author

Alec Mullins is an FPS writer focusing on Call of Duty and Apex Legends and their respective esports scenes. He worked at TheGamer before joining Dexerto. On the weekends, you'll find him watching the CDL and jamming to The Mountain Goats. You can find Alec on Twitter @LifeAsAlec