Activision has yet to confirm much of anything about this year’s Call of Duty title, including whether or not it is, as expected, Modern Warfare 3. Some details were unearthed earlier this week — namely, it is MW3, and environments in the game are going to be larger and feature destructible elements, bringing the game more in line with what’s seen in a Battlefield title. More details were set to be revealed in the “coming weeks,” most likely at E3, but a huge leak has instead brought with it a tremendous amount of information about Modern Warfare 3 including screenshots, multiplayer details, and an outline of the game’s campaign and story (complete with spoilers, which are marked below). We’ve also got what’s allegedly the game’s release date: November 8, 2011.
Update: Infinity Ward Creative Strategist Robert Bowling, better known as FourZeroTwo, wrote on Twitter a short while ago, “A lot of hype & a lot of leaked info on #MW3, some still accurate, some not. To avoid spoiling the experience, I’d wait for the real reveal.”

Kotaku obtained the information by way of “multiple sources” who were not identified, though speculation is sure to be rampant about who’s responsible given just how much was leaked. Some of the content is subject to change, given the game is still six months away from release. Kotaku noted that they haven’t seen the game for themselves, but they’ve “gone to great lengths” to confirm what they could. It’s unlikely this was an intentional leak in order to generate buzz, as some of the screenshots aren’t especially great looking — and considering that the consensus on Battlefield 3’s graphics has so far been a resounding “wow,” that makes it unlikely that Activision, Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, or Raven Software (the latter two of which are helping out with development of the game since IW’s former heads and many of its staff have left over the past year-plus) would leak any of this as a PR move.

If you want to avoid learning anything about the game, you’ll want to stop reading now. Story-related spoilers will be marked in bold below.

There are 20 multiplayer maps currently in development, but it’s possible some won’t make the final cut or will be held back for a lucrative map pack release. Modern Warfare 2’s Spec Ops mode makes a return with two types of levels: Cooperative missions, like those in MW2, and ’survival maps’ that sound similar to the Horde mode in Gears of War where you face waves of enemies that become more difficult as time goes on. There are five Survival maps listed (Carbon, Dome, Radar, Seatown, and Village) and seven mission-style Spec Ops maps (Civilian Rescue, Flood the Market, Invisible Threat, Little Bro’s, Out of Africa, No Fly Zone, and Wing Man). The names of the competitive multiplayer maps were also shared: Alpha, Alps, Bootleg, Bravo, Brooklyn, Carbon, Coast, Dome, Exchange, Hardhat, Interchange, Lambeth, Meteora, Mogadishu, Paris, Plaza 2, Radar, Seatown, Underground, and Village.

Single-player spoilers ahead.

Without going into great detail — Kotaku’s report outlines much of the game’s story (they’ve held some stuff back), the different locales you’ll visit, which characters die, and so on — it’s worth noting that the story picks up immediately after Modern Warfare 2 as the U.S. is still dealing with the Russian invasion which was caused by the infamous “No Russian” level. As per the usual, you’ll assume the role of multiple characters, including a tank gunner and an AC-130 gunner, across 15 levels. The Russians will invade New York City (Manhattan, specifically) before the story wraps up in Dubai. Besides the existing cast of characters we’ve seen in previous titles, two new Delta Force troops, Frost and Sandman, are introduced, whom Kotaku speculates could become recurring characters in future MW games.

At one point, SEAL Team Six is mentioned, which isn’t something new; it was previously mentioned during Call of Duty 4. But the name becomes more significant now that the real-life SEAL Team Six is responsible for killing Osama bin Laden. It’s unlikely that there’s any connection given how recently that happened, but that won’t stop people from thinking otherwise.

With E3 less than a month away, we should have at least some aspects of this leak confirmed soon — unless Activision decides to address the leak sooner. As of yet, it hasn’t made any comments.

Update: Improved images now included in story.

Brace yourselves, because big changes are coming to the PC version of Modern Warfare 2. Infinity Ward is planning to release a new matchmaking service called IWNet, which will give the developer “a lot more control and structure” over the PC version, with a side effect being the end of dedicated servers.
“This is the first time we’ve ever done something like this, obviously,” Bowling said on the BashandSlash podcast.

“And I know the team has huge plans for what IWNet develops into, and this is just the beginning. It’s hard for me to speak personally toward IWNet, because that is a code heavy project.”

Dedicated servers can play a host to a variety of clan events and special mods, leading to a unique community that separates PC games from console games. Bowling said he didn’t know whether the new system would mark the end of modding and custom maps, but he did acknowledge that it will be a “very different setup.”

“It’s definitely going to be a change. It’s going to be a very different setup than what we’re previously used to in the Call of Duty franchise for the PC,” In the long term it’s going to help the community. It changes the way and how we’re able to update and support the PC version.”

As always happens at times like these, there is now a petition circulating the Internet that has garnered nearly 85,000 signatures. The request is fairly simple. “Get Infinity Ward to review their decision not to allow fully dedicated servers for their forthcoming game release CoD:MW2. Remember that this Call of Duty was made popular by PC Gamers who have supported the series throughout.”

Comparatively little information on the new service is currently available, meaning that all predictions of doom are, at best, speculative. With Modern Warfare 2 due to be released November 10, we’ll likely know more soon.

Word that Modern Warfare 2 won’t be supporting dedicated server has prompted an outcry on the Internet as PC gamers lament the potential inability to use their own mods and mitigate latency problems, among other things. It seems that Best Buy is still in the mood to party though.
The retail chain has just announced that more than 500 Best Buy stores will be open at midnight when the Modern Warfare 2 launches. They have the complete list on their website, along with a link to their store locator.

Naturally, other outlets will be joining in as well, including GameStop. Of course, if you don’t have a problem with dedicated servers, there’s always Steam.

Modern Warfare 2 will be out November 10.

Modern Warfare 2 might not support dedicated servers, but it will be shipping with a few other PC-exclusive features. Valve has announced that Steamworks will be supported from launch, allowing players to access their save files remotely, among other things.
“Steamworks will make it possible for us to have a closer connection to our fans, and enable us to support our community much more than ever before,” said Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling.

“Steam is the hands down leader in offering a community focused experience on PC and the inclusion of Steamworks has allowed us to deliver the most feature-rich PC version to ever come from Infinity Ward, which at the end of the day will mean the most to our fans.”

Steamworks is a suite of backend publishing and development tools that allow for easy inclusion of features like social networking services. In addition to Steamworks, Modern Warfare 2 will also be supporting 50 Steam Achievements. Look for it on November 10.

The sequel to the best selling first person action game in history, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2: Call of Duty 4 is coming soon in November. Rumors have been spread over and over around the November release, saying that together with it will come the new developed accessories we still don’t know clear. Moreover, Mad Catz, leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, has announced that they have partnered with Activision and Infinity Ward to develop a range of controllers and accessories. The release goes on to state that the company will develop accessories for all platforms currently announced for the title, which include Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 systems.

“Mad Catz’s innovation and fresh approach from Day 1 has been great,” said Vince Zampella, CEO of Infinity Ward. “Their team has really poured their hearts into the new line of accessories for Modern Warfare 2 and we can’t wait for our fans to have a chance to play for themselves this November.”

What indeed is Mad Catz building, the coolest ever in existence or the opposite? We can make a guess.Will they be new types of night-vision goggles, turbo controllers, or even a “special” keyboard and mouse for the game? Well, whatever, the answer is coming out soon.

Activision confirmed the release of a Modern Warfare game on Nintendo DS, titled “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized”. Developed by n-space, the game will hit DS to coincide with the release of Modern Warfare 2 on 10 November.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized will feature its own storyline and narrative, along with six-player online multiplayer that lets you host your own server. Additionally, Activision promises “an arsenal of cutting-edge weaponry, vehicles, tactics, arming players with precision controls for battle across the world’s most dangerous hotspots” through building-to-building combat.

Activision hasn’t provided details on how the game will function using the DS touch screen and stylus. But the November 10 is coming soon, just have your patience, or you can also dress up your DS for this new game!