Renowned Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward has made an announcement that’s sure to delight many fans of the world’s most popular first-person shooter franchise; the studio based in Woodland Hills, California recently confirmed that Modern Warfare loot boxes will not be a thing amidst the current furor surrounding this randomized form of in-game item acquisition.
Studio art director Joel Emslie hit Reddit in order to drop some information on the upcoming game’s monetization methods, feeling pressured to do so following leaked allegations that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare would lock some of its weapons behind a paywall. Citing this “misinformed and incorrect info” circulating about the project, Emslie continued to state rather definitively that he and the team are “definitely NOT working on any kind of supply drop or loot box system.”
The Infinity Ward employee continues to emphasize that “functional stuff is unlocked through GAMEPLAY.” Presumably, from this one can extrapolate that purely cosmetic microtransactions will still feature in the title, but they will not be tied to loot boxes. Additionally, all weapons, perks, attachments, and so on should be earned through in-game progression—just like in the original 2007 iteration of CoD: Modern Warfare.
Though Modern Warfare (2019) appears to be ditching randomized loot boxes, which recently sparked a widespread debate about whether or not they should legally be considered gambling, it isn’t losing questionable means of monetization entirely. Although the gaming community generally aren’t as vocal of their distaste for these kinds of promotions, there’s certainly a contingency that takes issue with Totino’s Pizza Rolls offering exclusive in-game items for Modern Warfare alongside the purchase of their products.
Regardless, the lack of loot boxes and a commitment to allowing all “functional” items to be unlocked through gameplay in the latest Call of Duty title can be considered a win for the community. Modern Warfare launches on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 25th.
