When Modern Warfare 3 releases on November 10, its multiplayer will be a blast from the past for fans. Sledgehammer Games is bringing back every multiplayer map from the classic 2009 Modern Warfare 2. From Afghan to Favela. Highrise to Rust. And everything in between. All remade for this year’s Call of Duty.
Today, we see how many of the maps from 2009 look in 2023. Before I dump the images, the developers also talked about how they approached remaking each map.
“We [asked], ‘What was good about the movement of older games? What was good about the gunplay of older games?’ And the same with the newer games,” says Design Director Zach Hodson. “So we tried to marry those things.”
How does that translate to Modern Warfare 3? While the maps will look and feel very familiar, they won’t be a pixel-for-pixel remake. In a short video highlighting the maps, the devs talk about how the metrics of some maps were adjusted to fit how Call of Duty plays these days. Things like tactical sprint or mantling can change map flow. Highrise was one example they showcased with a player mantling parts of the map you couldn’t traverse back in 2009.
These physical changes to the map are going to be small. The most significant difference will be the visuals. The graphical upgrade from the classic Modern Warfare 2 to this year’s Modern Warfare 3 is obvious. The devs also wanted to improve readability (seeing other players) in certain areas. Lighting should also see significant time improvements across the board.
Let’s take a look at 13 of the 16 (no screenshots for Sub Base, Underpass, or Wasteland) launch maps coming in Modern Warfare 3:
We’ll see much more of Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer in action at Call of Duty Next on October 5. And fans at home will go hands-on during the open beta starting on October 6.
