Infinity Ward Unveils Modern Warfare 4 With Korean War Setting as Trailer Tops 22 Million Views
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 29
Infinity Ward Unveils Modern Warfare 4 With Korean War Setting as Trailer Tops 22 Million Views
9 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 29
Modern Warfare 4 launches on 23 October with a campaign centered on South Korean conscripts fighting a fictional full-scale North Korean invasion, making the Korean Peninsula the flashpoint of Call of Duty’s next mainline story.
22 million trailer views in a day and more than 3 million social interactions in 24 hours showed intense interest, while Infinity Ward said the game stays grounded in the military authenticity associated with Modern Warfare.
Dr Sarah Son of the University of Sheffield said the setting could be controversial because it turns an unresolved conflict into entertainment, though some Korean players welcomed the focus on ordinary South Korean soldiers rather than special forces.
The release also marks the first mainline Call of Duty to skip PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, while adding revamped movement, more interactive environments, an overhauled DMZ mode and a new Frontlines battle system.
The scrutiny fits a franchise long criticized for war-themed missions such as 'No Russian'; with the Koreas still technically at war since the 1953 armistice, analysts said South Korea could be especially sensitive.
Is Modern Warfare 4's controversial Korean War setting risking a commercial backlash and potential ban in a key Asian market?
With GTA 6 launching weeks later, can a controversial story help Call of Duty win the holiday sales war?
Will revamped movement and new multiplayer modes be enough to justify abandoning millions of last-generation console players?