Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has achieved only middling reviews since it launched, with its main campaign receiving the brunt of criticism. Many have called it a lacklustre sequel, with particular disappointment centred on the campaign’s short length, dull missions, and light storytelling. Now, Bloomberg alleges this may have been the result of a “rushed” development time at Sledgehammer Games.
Sources speaking anonymously to the publication have alleged the game was developed in just a year and a half, whereas its predecessors had been given double the time. Bloomberg alleges some developers were required to work nights and weekends to ensure the game was able to be released in its planned timeframe, with a complete overhaul of the project’s ideas leading to major development changes.
Bloomberg claimed multiple sources had confirmed Modern Warfare 3 was initially pitched as a Modern Warfare 2 expansion, with more focused missions based in Mexico. Sources further alleged Activision executives forced a change to these plans, rebooting the project as a complete game with similar ideas.
Read: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 campaign review roundup
Aaron Halon, studio head of Sledgehammer Games denied these claims, however, telling Bloomberg that developers were simply confused, and that Modern Warfare 3 had always been planned as a full sequel to Modern Warfare 2. Developers speaking to Bloomberg believe this take conflicts with what they’d initially been told of the project.
The website further alleges developers working on the title felt “betrayed” by publisher Activision, because it had promised ample time to work on Modern Warfare 3 since its previous title, Call of Duty Vanguard, had allegedly suffered from a similarly shortened development timeframe.
It’s alleged that Modern Warfare 3 was seen as filling a gap in Activision’s schedule, with the studio relying on Sledgehammer Games to complete and polish work within a short, allotted time frame to meet overarching company goals.
You can read Bloomberg‘s full report to learn more about the allegations.
