After months of speculation, Activision have revealed that there will be no loot boxes EVER in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which releases on October 25th.
This comes as a huge change for the Call of Duty franchise, which has generated millions in terms of revenue for Activision over recent years.
Rather than loot boxes to earn content, there will be a Battle Pass to offer players a more direct route to unlock content. With both free and premium streams of content on offer for players, the premium stream will allow COD Points to be earned as they progress through the levels.
Here is the official statement from Activision:
Today, let’s address the basics for the in-game economy coming in Modern Warfare.
We are introducing a new Battle Pass system, not a loot box system.
All functional content that has an impact on game balance, such as base weapons and attachments, can be unlocked simply by playing the game.
The new Battle Pass system will allow players to see the content that they are earning or buying. Battle Passes will launch timed to new, post-launch live seasons, so you can unlock cool new Modern Warfare-themed content that matches each season.
With the new Battle Pass system, players will be able to earn COD Points by playing the game.
There will be both a Free Stream and a Premium Stream of content in the Battle Pass System in Modern Warfare. New base weapons will be earned through gameplay, simply by playing Modern Warfare. Functional attachments for base weapons can be unlocked through gameplay as well just like in the game’s Beta.
The Battle Pass and the In-Game Store will feature a variety of cosmetic content that does not impact game balance.
The Battle Pass System for Modern Warfare will not launch when the game releases on October 25th. Here’s why: First and foremost, we are all focused on making the Day One experience awesome. Second, it’s important to us that everyone who is playing Modern Warfare has the chance to work their way through the new game and unlock all the rewards that are waiting for you. We expect to launch this system for Modern Warfare later this year.
Understandably there are still questions around how the economy will evolve throughout the post-launch, live seasons. We recognize this will take time to fully demonstrate. Please know we are committed to delivering a fair system guided by the principles we’ve outlined here, and will continue to monitor feedback and player engagement to help us achieve that goal.
Please look for more information on the live seasons and post-release content plans for Modern Warfare throughout the year and beyond.
We are looking forward to playing in just a few days.
Since the release of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare in 2015, loot boxes have been present in the franchise. After complaints regarding the content during the Black Ops 4 game cycle, it looks like Activision are beginning to listen to the demands of the community.
Our Thoughts
With all post-launch content being free to all players, Infinity Ward and Activision look to be making steps in the right direction in providing a wealth of content for all players throughout the year.
We are excited to see what Infinity Ward have in store for the rest of the year!
Stay tuned for the latest news, guides and information on Modern Warfare.
