The Modern Warfare 2 beta was the biggest Call of Duty beta of all time
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The Modern Warfare 2 beta was the biggest Call of Duty beta of all time
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's beta saw the most players, most matches played, and most hours played in the series' history
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: MW2 beta
😲 Activision has revealed that the Modern Warfare 2 beta was the biggest in Call of Duty’s history
👏 The most successful game to date is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), which means Modern Warfare 2 could topple that record
👉 Some elements of the MW2 beta were criticized, and cheating remains a concern
📅 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launches on October 28 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 beta is officially the biggest Call of Duty beta of all time, according to the game’s publisher Activision.
The beta, which ran on multiple weekends from September 16 to September 26, saw the most hours played, most players, and most matches played of any Call of Duty beta to date.
That’s good news for developer Infinity Ward and Activision, as it’s likely the game will outpace the previous fastest-selling Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare (2019), if the beta numbers are anything to go by.
Those who pre-order the game can enjoy one-week early access to the full Modern Warfare 2 campaign starting on October 20. And players who pre-order the digital-only Vault Edition of MW2 will get the Red Team 141 Operator pack, FJX Cinder Weapon Vault, Season One Battle Pass, and 50 Tier Skips.
If you leveled up during Modern Warfare 2’s beta, you’ll be able to claim various exclusive rewards on launch day. All 10 rewards will be unlocked for players who reached level 30.
The Call of Duty beta wasn’t all roses and sunshine, however. Some members of the CoD community accused Infinity Ward of not listening to feedback, with one of the biggest requests being to change the game’s mini-map, which has so far been ignored.
Cheaters and hackers also flocked to the beta, with some sites advertising their cheat tools ahead of the game’s release.
Nevertheless, Activision and Infinite Ward will be pleased with how the MW2 beta performed. It’s worth noting that Call of Duty’s free-to-play battle royale mode, Warzone 2.0, will launch on November 16, giving the game another boost shortly after launch.
Of course, surrounding Modern Warfare 2’s impending release has been Microsoft’s ongoing $69bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which has been strongly opposed by Sony. Sony’s Call of Duty row with Microsoft is getting ugly, as the two companies have accused each other of all sorts in a bid to influence competition regulators to either approve or block the deal.
Sony really doesn’t want Microsoft to own Call of Duty, suggesting that any exclusivity deals would influence consumers’ console choice. That hasn’t stopped Sony from snapping up Call of Duty content, including a new PS5 bundle that includes a digital copy of the game.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has said Sony pays developers blocking rights to keep games off Xbox Game Pass, and promised to bring Call of Duty to Xbox Game Pass in the future, should its takeover deal be successful.
Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella is bullish about the Activision Blizzard deal being approved and recently called out Sony for stifling competition.