Prepare to go dark, Modern Warfare is back!

The stakes have never been higher as players take on the role of lethal Tier One operators in a heart-racing saga that will affect the global balance of power.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will make its return in a powerful experience reimagined from the ground-up, engulfing players in a modern-day conflict, where split-second decisions could affect the global balance of power.

In the gripping and dramatic single-player story campaign, players will immerse themselves in a visceral narrative that shines a light on the changing nature of modern war. Alongside a cast of international special forces and freedom fighters, fans take the role of tier one operators in a saga that will affect the global balance of power. Additionally, picking up where the Campaign ends is the cooperative Special Ops mode where players can team up in strike-teams of four. Special Ops advances the overarching Modern Warfare lore with multiple ways to play co-op, including Operations, the largest and most involved experience with multi-phased objectives, and the more curated Classic Special Ops, to test your performance with weapons, munitions and other tools.

And the story doesn’t end there.

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, players will be thrust into an immersive narrative spanning the entire game. Players can experience the ultimate online playground with classic multiplayer or squad-up and play cooperatively in a collection of elite operations, accessible to all skill levels.

A well-known writer and photographer of post-apocalyptic and military-inspired images and stories has filed an infringement suit against the publishers of the video game franchise “Call of Duty,” claiming the company’s “Mara” character is copied from his copyrighted character and images.  

Clayton Haugen, whose most recent production credit was as a writer for the 2020 Bruce Willis film “Hard Kill,” created a character named “Cade Janus” in 2017 as part of concept art and a story treatment to draw interest from various movie production companies. Mr. Haugen subsequently posted the protected images and character background on his website and social media to further demonstrate his talent and potentially engage other film studios.  

The lawsuit, filed in United States District Court in Marshall, Texas, alleges that “Call of Duty” developers used those images as well as the same model and makeup artist employed by Mr. Haugen as the basis for the “Mara” character. The lawsuit further alleges that those professionals were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements in an attempt to cover up the infringement.   

 “There should be no question that this was a planned, deliberate effort to duplicate the striking images created by Mr. Haugen,” said Micah Dortch of the Dallas office of the Potts Law Firm. “The evidence included in our filing clearly shows the similarities between the original images and the digitized character, as well as the actual use of Mr. Haugen’s images.”  

Defendants Activision Publishing Inc., Activision Blizzard Inc., and Major League Gaming Corp. have claimed that “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” sold more than $1 billion in downloads as well as physical copies through such retailers as GameStop in the first three months following its release in October 2019.   

Mr. Haugen is represented by Mr. Dortch and Chris Lindstrom from the Potts Law Firm and Houston attorney Patrick Zummo with the Law Offices of Patrick Zummo. The legal team previously filed an infringement lawsuit against the same defendants in 2019 on behalf of WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. Huffman. That lawsuit, currently set for trial in April, claimed a “Call of Duty” character called “Prophet” was copied from the “G.I. Bro” character created by Mr. Huffman.  

The case is Clayton Haugen v. Activision Publishing, Inc., Activision Blizzard, Inc., and Major League Gaming Corp., No. 2:21-cv-00035, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare features a new engine delivering an immersive and photo-realistic experience across the entire game. The new technology utilizes the latest advancements in visual engineering, including a physically-based material system allowing for state-of-the-art photogrammetry, a new hybrid tile based streaming system, new PBR decal rendering system, world volumetric lighting, 4K HDR, DirectX Raytracing (PC) and more as well as a new GPU geometry pipeline. Spectral rendering delivers thermal heat radiation and infrared identification for both thermal and night-vision in-game imaging. The technical investment made provides a cutting-edge animation system and blend shape system, while the new suite of audio tools allows for full Dolby ATMOS support, on supported platforms, along with the latest in audio simulation effects.

Modern Warfare multiplayer delivers a thrilling and game-changing online experience with best-in-class down the barrel gameplay, along with an all-new level of strategic and tactical play. Players can jump into new play spaces that redefine Call of Duty multiplayer, from quick-action, close-quarters 2 vs. 2 experiences in Gunfight, traditional 6 vs. 6 multiplayer gameplay, modes that support 10 vs. 10 and 20 vs. 20 firefights, along with high-player count maps and combat, such as the all-new Ground War, an epic large-scale mode supporting more than 100-players. And, that’s just the beginning for Modern Warfare fans.

With a complete weapon overhaul and the most choices in Call of Duty history, players will be able to outfit their multiplayer operators for every combat encounter, with unprecedented customization and modifiability in the new Gunsmith system. Modern Warfare features cutting-edge visuals, authentic sound design, with realistic recoil and weapon ballistics throughout the game. In addition, gameplay mechanics, including bullet penetration, gun mounting, door breaching and night vision multiplayer gameplay maps featuring night vision goggles (NVGs), allow for an amazing tactical experience.

Activision also confirmed that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will have no season pass, and that it will feature cross play between Xbox One, PS4 and PC platforms.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare features a fully-optimized PC version, developed in partnership with Beenox, which will be available exclusively on Blizzard Battle.net

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is currently available worldwide on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.