Activision has moved to justify its new Call of Duty launcher ahead of the release of Modern Warfare 3, touting easier file management and seamless title switching.
Call of Duty HQ is the new platform from which Call of Duty games such as the imminent Modern Warfare 3 are launched, and replaces the Modern Warfare 2 app. It is not possible to jump straight into Modern Warfare 3, Modern Warfare 2, or battle royale Warzone via their own dedicated apps. Rather, players must log into Call of Duty HQ, find their game of choice via a Netflix-style launcher, then load the app. Call of Duty HQ is required to play either Modern Warfare 3, 2, or Warzone, and unlike parts of those games, Call of Duty HQ cannot be deleted if you want to play.
Modern Warfare 3, which was reportedly originally planned as a DLC expansion for last year’s Modern Warfare 2 before changed to a full price standalone release, sits within Modern Warfare 2. On PlayStation 5, Modern Warfare 3 does not have a Platinum trophy, much to the annoyance of players. Activision has yet to explain this, despite multiple requests for comment from IGN.
In a blog post, Activision said Call of Duty HQ “was developed to bring players benefits like Carry Forward, easier file size management, and more seamless switching between Call of Duty: Warzone and the latest annual releases”. “We are continuing to work on fine-tuning Call of Duty HQ to optimize the player experience as we launch Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 later this week.”
However, after a whopping 100GB+ download released overnight, Call of Duty HQ is anything but seamless. Players have expressed frustration at multiple logins just to get to the game they want to play, confusion around navigation the various menus, and the dreaded ‘update to restart’ message that appears frequently. The time it takes to play on PC seems especially annoying.
This is fucking stupid. I shouldn’t have to launch and relaunch the CoD HQ to switch between different game modes.
— Matthew Doane (@MattyD_TV) November 8, 2023
What the fuck are you people thinking?
Not expecting a smooth launch just based on this absolutely terrible update.#MW3 #Warzone #DMZ #CallofDuty pic.twitter.com/kiC8C4dbuf
How to launch #MWIII on PC, an agonizing journey:
— Morgan Park (@MorganRPark) November 3, 2023
-launch MW2 (now the CoD HQ)
-wait
-find the MW3 button
-exit to desktop
-wait
-MW3, the game you actually want to play, starts pic.twitter.com/raIXAxDlZd
The overall install footprint of Call of Duty HQ as well as its associated games is enormous: on PS5 it weighs in at an eye-watering 232.9 GB. Of course, portions of Call of Duty can be deleted to reduce the storage footprint, but Activision has already warned players to expect bigger file sizes this year.
“The overall file size of Call of Duty HQ reflects our commitment for players to bring their inventories and progression with them from Modern Warfare 2 to Modern Warfare 3,” Activision said.
This statement has to do with the ability to carry forward player inventory and weapon progression from last year’s Modern Warfare 2 into Modern Warfare 3. In order to have weapons, operators, and other Modern Warfare 2 content available with Modern Warfare 3, extra files need to be downloaded upon installation. Additionally, select Modern Warfare 2 maps that carry forward to Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer also require storage space, Activision said.
Activision flagged “known issues” with Call of Duty HQ, which it plans to address following Modern Warfare 3’s launch. Here’s the list:
- Physical Disc Identification: Players will encounter changes with how Call of Duty games are listed during the download and installation process. For example, some players who purchase the disc version of Modern Warfare 3, but do not already have Modern Warfare 2 installed will not see the Modern Warfare 3 icon until COD HQ has fully updated after a Day One patch.
- Cross-Title Parties: Cross-Title Parties: Players who form parties within Modern Warfare 3 may be disbanded when switching to Call of Duty: Warzone. If this happens, players can party up again to play in Warzone. This will be corrected in an update shortly after launch of Modern Warfare 3.
It’s fair to say players really don’t like COD HQ. Here’s a snippet of the reaction:
Pls fix this issue,we spend about 3min to play MWIII,this issue does not exist on the console,make it possible for us to choose which game to launch, then enter COD HQ through that game.main problem is that every time we DC or crash,we have to go through all these steps@SHGames pic.twitter.com/8wAkJgTbLp
— The Ghost (@TheGhost4516) November 7, 2023
So I got on to uninstall mw2. Is the base call of duty the cod hq or what? Also do we uninstall WZ2? The 156gb update is also installing. #MW3 pic.twitter.com/FVbIeekDkB
— Hartley Scott (@TCGHarT) November 8, 2023
#CallofDuty: The Modern Warfare 2 Main Menu has been stripped clean.
— DETONATED (@DETONATEDcom) November 8, 2023
? Booting MW2 from COD HQ now will give you this Main Menu screen — what happened?? pic.twitter.com/Kggi8C7tNo
Finally installing all 190 GB of the COD HQ pic.twitter.com/iF2vnalSXw
— DougDagnabbit (@dougdagnabbit) November 8, 2023
@Activision So after being FORCED to download mw3 to update the damn cod hq, can i free space on my console by uninstalling mw3 or will it screw it up?
— T.R.I.S.H. (@0rchyd) November 9, 2023
You may be losing sales for shenanigans like this. I was going to buy MW3 eventually, now not so sure. #callofduty pic.twitter.com/K9xjKXVRSj
"Dad tell me about cod before Cod HQ" #MWIII #CallofDuty pic.twitter.com/WPZbpoQ9yz
— Ainslee Farrar ?| ?Vektor_vmp (@ainslee_farrar) November 1, 2023
Modern Warfare 3 launches today in North America and on November 10 in the rest of the world. Check out the Modern Warfare 3 full game release times for a breakdown.
It's also the first Call of Duty game to launch following Microsoft’s $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard, but don’t expect it to hit Game Pass until 2024. Check out IGN’s Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer review in progress to find out what we thought of the recent open beta, and be sure to check out IGN's review of Modern Warfare 3's single-player campaign.
This week, IGN reported on how angry Call of Duty fans were review-bombing the wrong Modern Warfare 3. For more on Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (the new one!), check out IGN's investigation into why video game cheaters are so hard to stop.
Image credit: Activision
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
