Before you begin reading, keep in mind that the following piece is somewhat opinionated. Understanding this will help you get a better grasp of what I’m trying to say.

On May 2, 2016, Infinity Ward revealed the next game in the Call of Duty franchise, Infinite Warfare. And, boy, did it cause an uproar. The game featured a futuristic setting once again to the displeasure of many fans of the once beloved series. Many people clearly expressed their thoughts on the game in the comments section of the reveal trailer.

Why Are People Upset?

Many people are very unhappy about the new entry into the Call of Duty series. A lot of them have even shown interest in another upcoming FPS game called Battlefield 1, a game that will take place during World War I. But, why all the hate for Call of Duty Infinite Warfare? Well, why not have a look?

As you may or may not know, the first Call of Duty was released in 2003 to relatively good reception. This sparked a string of sequels taking place in the WWII era: Call of Duty 2 and 3. These were somewhat well-received in their time as well, which brings us to 2007; Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. This game was critically acclaimed worldwide and became one of the best-selling games rivaling even Halo 3.

But the success didn’t stop there at all. Call of Duty added new games to their lineup, such as Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops which were both spectacular. Then, Modern Warfare 3 came out. While it wasn’t a bad game, this is what marked the turning point in Call of Duty’s focus.

You see, instead of relying on classic warfare from historical wars or modern day conflicts, Call of Duty began shifting to the future. Instead of using good old-fashioned RPGs and classic rifles, Call of Duty started implementing more fictional weapons and less equipment that fans of the series grew to love. However, that wasn’t the only problem.

The problem was that the franchise started to feel different. Instead of feeling like a love letter to classic war, Call of Duty started to feel like an action movie and an annual cash grab. Instead of having more emotional moments and a nostalgic feel to it, Call of Duty began to have bland campaigns with forced moments.

If there’s still a good aspect to the series, multiplayer is still as entertaining as always with many different game modes to choose from and fun to have with your friends. Except…if you talk to anyone who owns Call of Duty, they’ll likely say the multiplayer was the only reason they bought the game. That’s definitely a problem.

A game should be purchased for the full experience, not for one single part of it. If the latter is the case for most buyers, this means that a game is mediocre at best. If you purchase it only for the multiplayer, this not only means you’re wasting sixty dollars on online play, but you’re also wasting it on rushed and unbalanced maps, if you’re lucky enough that they even add that many maps.

This brings us back to Infinite Warfare. Unfortunately, what I took from the trailer was that the development team behind Call of Duty didn’t take the hint that consumers were becoming tired of futuristic action movies. Why do I say this? Because the entire trailer was CGI and looked the exact same as the previous games that took place in a future-like setting.

I’ll admit, the spaceships do look cool in the trailer, but let’s be completely honest; those spaceships will probably only be available in the campaign and they showed up for about five seconds without any demonstration on how they work.

The Unfortunate Reality of Modern Warfare Remastered

Now for the worst part: Modern Warfare Remastered. “Hey, wait a second, Chris! Modern Warfare’s a good game! Why are you bashing on it?” Well, here’s the thing; I’m not. You see, what I’m about to complain about is not the game itself but the circumstances of its availability. When Modern Warfare Remastered was announced, I was absolutely ecstatic!

In fact, I’ll have you know it was my favorite game in the entirety of the series. But, when I heard that you had to pay eighty dollars for Infinite Warfare’s Legacy Edition just to get MW Remastered, I was furious. This is an insane move on Activision’s part not because it comes with the Legacy Edition, but because you HAVE to get the Legacy Edition if you want to even touch that game.

But, even from a consumer’s point of view, I can see what Activision was probably trying to pull. By bundling MW Remastered with IW’s Legacy Edition, they could boost sales for their new title as well as get more money from consumers by throwing in a game they knew would be loved. Unfortunately for them, all this did was make fans angry and sour their PR considerably.

Though the idea of a remastered Modern Warfare sounds marvelous, the reality is that it’s exclusive to IW’s Legacy Edition and you’ll have to drop an entire eighty dollars on it if you want to be able to own that game.

Is Call of Duty In Trouble?

While sales for most of the previous entries in the Call of Duty series have prominently done well, if Infinite Warfare flops as is expected, Activision is sure to take a huge blow. Even though they received a large amount of money from previous sales, most if not all of that money will have been spent on development and resources for the next game in the franchise.

If Infinite Warfare does a horrible job in both sales and delivery, it’s very possible that Activision could lay off many employees due to inability to pay them. And while it’s not entirely set in stone that Call of Duty could be dying, this could set the series well on its way to its grave.

There you have it. My opinion on Infinite Warfare. It may have sounded cynical, but this is what I believe the harsh truth is. What do you think about Infinite Warfare? Do you believe Call of Duty is dying? Leave a comment below!