The beloved 2019 reboot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has just received a rather unexpected and, on some platforms, large update, but there has been no word from either publisher Activision or developer Infinity Ward on what exactly the new patch is for. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which set the franchise on a new path nearly seven years ago, has been experiencing a massive resurgence lately, which seems to have prompted its developers to release a new update.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is undoubtedly one of the most divisive entries in the series. Not only did the 2019 title introduce a huge overhaul to the IW engine, but it also had a much slower time to kill, interactable doors, weapon mounting, and various other slower mechanics that made the classic run-and-gun gameplay somewhat redundant. There was, however, a large portion of the community that loved the changes, embracing the slower, more tactical style of Call of Duty. Many also have fond memories of the 2019/2020 Call of Duty era, as the series also ushered in a new way to play with Warzone, a free-to-play Battle Royale experience that has now become a staple of the franchise.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Receives Mysterious 13 GB Update
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was recently included in Steam’s big Spring Sale, taking its price down to just $5.99. This incredibly low price resulted in a huge resurgence for the iconic title, with player count numbers skyrocketing to new heights. This clearly caught the attention of Infinity Ward, who not only kicked off a special Double XP weekend for new and returning players, but have now also deployed a mysterious patch that comes in at over 13 GB for some platforms. While console users will notice a much smaller download size, the contents of the update remain somewhat of a mystery.
Neither Infinity Ward nor Activision has released any form of patch notes or change log for the April 1 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare update, but some fans have been posting their findings on social media. Data from SteamDB reveals that the title now includes files referencing Ubisoft Connect. While this may seem rather odd, given that Call of Duty is an Activision-owned IP, the studio’s acquisition by Microsoft in 2023 came with a caveat, as the UK Competition and Markets Authority required all of Activision’s cloud streaming rights to be sold to a third-party (in this case, Ubisoft) out of fears of a potential monopoly. This means Ubisoft now owns the cloud streaming rights for all of Activision’s PC and console games for the next 15 years.
Aside from the sudden inclusion of Ubisoft Connect files, fans have also noted numerous other changes that have appeared following the recent update. One Reddit user says the original music is now once again available in the main menu, but others say it never actually left for them. But one change that seems to have been the same across the board is the removal of certain bundles and cosmetics from the in-game store, as fans say all of the included Modern Warfare 2 and Vanguard bundles have now been removed. Finally, it seems as though vehicle customization is also now working correctly, according to reports from players.
It’s unclear if Infinity Ward intends to further support Modern Warfare with new updates moving forward, given that the 2019 title now has more than 20,000 active players every day on Steam alone. Some believe this has been the perfect marketing strategy for the studio’s next title, which is heavily rumored to be a brand-new entry in the rebooted Modern Warfare series. Although nothing has been confirmed by the studio, a trusted leaker has previously claimed that Modern Warfare 4 will release later this year, continuing where 2023’s Modern Warfare 3 left off and taking players to North and South Korea.
