A Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 trailer has revealed series antagonist Vladimir Makarov and snippets of in-game footage.
Narrated by Captain Price, the Makarov reveal trailer (below) combines live-action footage of Makarov as he gets a new tattoo with brief moments of in-game footage. We spotted what looks like a swimming section set under ice, with an explosion causing a vehicle to submerge and its inhabitants prone for a trademark Call of Duty neck stab. Perhaps this hints at new underwater gameplay in which you can set charges that blow up ice underneath enemies.
Subsequent gameplay shows a level set at night in the pouring rain, with a team of soldiers seemingly preparing to infiltrate a stone fortress of some kind. We’re then shown a brief clip in which panic-stricken civilians are trying to escape a building, possibly Verdansk Stadium. Could this be a modern day No Russian? Is Verdansk, the setting of 2019's Modern Warfare and original Warzone map, set to return? Finally, there’s the burning wreckage of a plane crash and more screams. It’s all very Call of Duty.
Price closes out the trailer by declaring Makarov his next target. Modern Warfare 3, it seems, will be about taking the terrorist down. Check the video out below:
Makarov will be familiar to fans of the original Modern Warfare series. In those games, Makarov leads an Ultranationalist terrorist cell and masterminds World War 3. In the rebooted Modern Warfare series, Makarov steals ballistic missiles from Shadow Company, then sells them to Hassan Zyani and Al-Qatala to use against the United States.
In a post-credits scene from 2022's Modern Warfare 2 campaign, Makarov sends a terrorist cell to hijack a Russian airliner with civilians onboard (perhaps the wreckage in the video above is the aftermath). Makarov orders them "No Russian" via a text message just before they start the attack. It looks like Makarov has his sights set on World War 3, again.
Activision is drip-feeding the Modern Warfare 3 reveal, with a big blowout set for August 17. The game itself comes out November 10. There’s not much else to go on, but we do know Modern Warfare 3 sees the return of proper slide cancelling after a not so subtle tease sent to Call of Duty influencers. A Modern Warfare 3 event is confirmed to happen within battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone.
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.
