The second season of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 saw an unfortunate delay, as mounting tension in the community sparked developer Infinity Ward to rethink its approach to both titles. The second season is set to launch on Feb. 15, headlined by the Resurgence Mode making a return with an all-new map, Ashika Island.
The road ahead is a long one, and over the past few weeks, Infinity Ward has detailed what lies ahead in the form of smaller blog posts. One post, in particular, caught the ire of DMZ players who enjoy the new extraction-based mode, as the new season will lock certain content behind a paywall by forcing players to purchase Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.
According to the blog post:
“Modern Warfare® II owners will also have access to mission orders from a brand new fourth faction, Crown. This British group is shrouded in mystery, but they have certainly piqued the interest of Black Mous….
Again, this Faction will only be available to Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II owners.”
The content in question involves the extraction mode’s factions, in particular, the brand-new faction called the Crown. Currently, there are three factions, but with the new faction joining, players who do not own the full game will not be able to access the faction’s missions or the benefits that come with completing them.
Unsurprisingly, this drew the ire of the community, as locking content behind a $70-100 paywall isn’t exactly what players wanted to hear, especially as the mode is a free offering. However, some members of the community have stood by Infinity Ward’s decision to implement this feature, citing this as a way to support the developers for implementing such a “feature-packed” mode.
DMZ only exists because of pay-for elements. We all love free stuff — but DMZ is surprisingly feature-packed for being free in the first place.
— Fran Mirabella III (FM3) (@franmirabella) February 2, 2023
A 4th mission set for those who do support the developers and mode directly isn’t a major problem — unless rewards impact balance.
This decision certainly is an interesting one, and given the insane amount of money Modern Warfare II has made, it’s questionable, to say the least. Next week will reveal the studio’s plans for the upcoming season, and if this is any indicator, it might be a long one for Call of Duty fans looking for some big changes.
Be sure to check out our related content below for more Call of Duty content to keep you up to speed.