Modern Warfare 2 is direct sequel

By Robert Purchese Published 8 June, 2009

"Not just another one in the COD franchise."

Infinity Ward has clarified that Modern Warfare 2 is meant to be a direct sequel, which a first for the Call of Duty franchise.

Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, IW community speaker Robert Bowling said the name Modern Warfare 2 was picked to illustrate just that.

"This is a direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. That is what we are trying to get across to our audience. It's not just another one in the Call of Duty franchise," he said.

"This has never happened in Call of Duty before. They're typically their own campaigns and totally unrelated to the previous one. This one, is indeed a direct sequel and we just want to make that clear."

Modern Warfare 2 launches for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on 10th November.

Head over to our E3 preview for our latest thoughts, or pop into Eurogamer TV for two very sparkly trailers

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 10 months ago

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  • loop7 #1 3 years ago

    First. Looking forward to this

  • stephenb #2 3 years ago

    Well. . . duh!

  • Buztafen #3 3 years ago

    Bit obvious from the trailer really, but thanks for typing it out for the simpletons among us.....in fact, i hear them coming now!

  • DFawkes #4 3 years ago

    "It's not just another one in the Call of Duty franchise"
    "It's not just another one in the Call of Duty franchise"
    "It's not just another one in the Call of Duty franchise"

    I can't stress this enough, and will link to this (as well as quote the CEO of Infinity Ward and his answer to an interview question in Official Xbox Magazine) every single time someone tries to say this is COD6. It is most definitely not COD6! I've already seen talk of COD7 by some, despite their being no 6!

    Rant over, nice to see they're actually resolving the ending of COD4 (which was a COD game), it being a cliffhanger and all. I hate unresolved cliffhangers. Shenmue 3, I'm looking at you.

  • MyPointIs #5 3 years ago

    So many people bought it, that we wanted to make sure you all knew it was going to be more of the same!

  • bad09 #6 3 years ago

    Modern Warfare 2 is direct sequel to Modern Warfare 1???? How quaint....

  • Negotiator #7 3 years ago

    Loved the first CO4 4 I mean, and this is looking even better.

  • MyPointIs #8 3 years ago

    This is the usual branching of the franchise tree.

    You start with Mario, then to secondary franchise branches; Mario Kart, Mario RPG, Mario Golf, then to tertiary franchise branches; Mario Kart Nitro, Mario Kart Shift, Mario Kart Carbon, Mario Kart Underground, and finally you use your roman numerals; Mario Kart Underground XIV ...

  • Optimaximal #9 3 years ago

    This Press Release - because including Soap wasn't a big enough clue

  • S.J.Rogers #10 3 years ago

    It will be GOTY...

  • FooAtari #11 3 years ago

    It is most definitely not COD6

    So what is it then?

    It's the next game in the franchise. Will play very simialr to the previous games. It will look like CoD, feel like CoD and play like CoD. Of crourse it's cod 6. It's Call of Duty, and it's the 6th game, regardless of whats written on the front of the box.

  • DFawkes #12 3 years ago

    No, it isn't COD6. It doesn't even have COD on the box, it's not the 6th in the series. You ask what is it then? It's Modern Warfare 2. No COD. That's what the CEO of Infinity Ward says, that's what this Robert Bowling (though how qualified a "communtiy speaker" is to say this is debatable, granted) is saying.

    I could probably allow, if you HAD to force COD onto it, COD4-2, like Final Fantasy X-2, but even then you'd have to ignore the fact it doesn't have COD in the title and the staff not regarding it as COD6.

    Sorry, almost forgot: "It's not just another one in the Call of Duty franchise" :p

  • theiceman #13 3 years ago

    I personally can't fucking wait. I'm still playing cod4, so this will be the icing on a cake for me.
    Hmmm cake!

  • Fab4 #14 3 years ago

    How can it be a sequel if it isnt in the CoD franchise?

    Edit: My mistake..."It's not just another one in the Call of Duty franchise". So the big point he is making is that its just a follow up story? Groundbreaking!
    Edited by Fab4 at 08/06/09 @ 11:17

  • Olemak #15 3 years ago

    So it is a sequel to CoD 4, but not a CoD game?

    Bah, this "brand leveraging" thing is just plain wrong.

    What's more interesting is: did Captain Price survive CoD 4, and is he in this sequel, whatever it's called? And will Captain MacMillan be in it, in his wheelchair? Who will replace Gaz, who got headshotted? Will Soap and Griggs be able to get that beer back in London, and will it be a playable mission? And will we get a bikini mode?

    Who cares about the story anyway; for 95 % of the players it is all about the online multiplayer. Sequel, non-sequel meh, will there be any new gamemodes in which I will be less frustrated by clearly superior players? In other words: how about a game mode where participation is limited by player level?

  • davisorle #16 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • FooAtari #17 3 years ago

    No, it isn't COD6.

    Yes it is.

  • rogueJT #18 3 years ago

    Direct sequel? mission pack more like it.

  • DFawkes #19 3 years ago

    Oh you, FooAtari :p To be fair even if they renamed it COD6: Yes it Really is COD, the CEO stated "Screw it, it is COD, ignore me", and they did a new ad campaign with the slogan "This is CLEARLY Call of Duty 6!" I'd still go on about how it isn't COD6.

    But it actually isn't. Clearly. It's like those Star Wars games where they just started messing with my head - Dark Forces, then Darks Forces II Jedi Knight, then Jedi Knight II (but NOT Dark Forces III), Jedi Outcast. I probably got those wrong, point being... I forget. This isn't COD6 though. That's what some of the people making it are saying (they're saying it isn't COD at all).

  • FooAtari #20 3 years ago

    @DFawkes
    But it actually isn't. Clearly

    But, when you think it about it, it is actually is CoD 6 :)
    Edited by FooAtari at 08/06/09 @ 14:32

  • RedSparrows #21 3 years ago

    It might not be named another CoD, but it bloody well looks like it plays like one, no matter how many ice picks and skidoos there are.

    wooptyfuckingdo.

    ahem

    Sorry. Ignore that.

  • DFawkes #22 3 years ago

    Probably best ignoring me too. But it's not COD6. If you need a way to remember how it isn't COD6, here's a song:

    It's not COD6.

    Make up your own tune, I'm too lazy. Possibly repeated to the song "Smack My Bitch Up" in place of the title of that song, it almost fits.

  • Colin8703 #23 3 years ago

    I might have read through the comments a bit quickly so apologies if someone has already said this.

    I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK WHAT IT'S CALLED.

    I'll be getting it anyway.

  • DocRobotnik #24 3 years ago

    The best thing IW can do is to disassociate themselves with the COD franchise, because Treyarch are going to flog that particular horse until it's totally dead.

    Not just dead, totally dead.

  • Mr.DNA #25 3 years ago

    Infinity Ward are absolutely desperate to distance themselves from Treyarch. A dev at IW recently went on a foul-mouthed rant about how their shooters have fuck all to do with Treyarch's, and I get the strong impression that they don't want to be associated with a franchise where every other game is not their own.

    Activision should do the sensible thing and get Treyarch to make Modern Warfare 3. That would be funny.

    Actually, on second thoughts, that would be tragic.
    Edited by Mr.DNA at 08/06/09 @ 18:01

  • Fab4 #26 3 years ago

    IW and Treyarch will have no say in what they develop...that will be up to their parent company, Activision. Its them who are into the equine flagellation.

  • brappbrap #27 3 years ago

    Boy, boys.... calm down.

    It's just a fucking game. One that some people will really like, and one that some people won't.

    Who gives a fuck what it's called? Don't we have more pressing matters to worry about?
    This happened when Bioshock 2 was announced. "OMG, they're getting rid of the subtitle!" "Oh no, they're keeping it!" "GROUND BREAKING NEWS oh... maybe not"

    Who cares what it's called as long as it plays well and they get rid of Martyrdom?
    Are you saying that you will only buy it if the box says Call of Duty on the front? Or if it doesn't? Either way, it's fucking pathetic. I would still want to play it even if it was called "Shoot The Angry Men What Haev Guns 2"

  • hiddenranbir #28 3 years ago

    If the story follows or not, it is just another one in the CoD franchise.

  • james-mw3-mw3 #29 10 months ago

    I find it funny that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (abbreviated as Call of Duty: MW3 or simply MW3) is currently in development by Infinity Ward with assisted development from Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software co-developing multiplayer development, e.g. weapons, maps, perks, etc. That's a lot of developers making MW3!