Infinity Ward confirm they won’t change Modern Warfare minimap
At the reveal event for the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 1 content, content creators were given the opportunity to ask developers anything they wanted about the game – and the minimap came up as in important point of contention.
The minimap has been an issue with some players since before the game even launched, with the beta version of the game not having a minimap at all, as Infinity Ward instead opted to use an overhead compass.
This was immediately met with vitriol from the community, and by the end of the beta testing period, the game had a minimap back in place but doesn’t show red dots when enemies shoot any longer and is more zoomed in than in previous iterations, displaying less of the map.
Modern Warfare has been under heavy scrutiny since its October 2019 release.That’s why it’s no surprise that when certain YouTubers and content creators were invited to check out the new Season 1 content coming to the game and ask about Modern Warfare, the minimap was a major talking point.
Speaking with Multiplayer Design Director Joe Cecot, YouTuber Swagg asked about several things including the idea of putting Aniyah Palace in Ground War, the implementation of Dead Silence and balancing different perks.
When the minimap question came up, however, Cecot was very clear in his answer. Swagg said “That was a short conversation, he said that’s how they intended the game to be. There was no arguing with him about it. That’s how the game was designed so that players don’t get hunted.”
(Timestamp 4:09 for mobile users)
He went on to say that himself and New York Subliners’ Dillon ‘Attach’ Price did question this, but Infinity Ward want UAV to be more of a reward.
They then asked Cecot, if that is the case, why the Ghost perk is as strong as it is. Cecot agreed with where they were coming from and he’ll “definitely consider [balancing] it.”
Swagg goes on to discuss that he thinks all the community wants is the knowledge that Infinity Ward are aware of the problems they are facing, rather than critique being met with silence.
The reveal event seemed to be quite fruitful for getting new information and establishing more of a rapport with Infinity Ward over game design decisions, which is undoubtedly a recipe for success down the line if these events continue to occur.
That does mean, though, that despite community concerns, the minimap now is probably how it will be for the rest of the game’s lifespan, unless something major changes the minds of those working on it.