Chaos on Modern Warfare 4: Why This Beta Feels Different to Me

Published 7 September 2026. Words like "tonight" or "next week" refer to that date.

I've covered Call of Duty for nearly 16 years. I've defended it, criticized it, ranked practically everything in it, and watched this franchise reinvent itself more times than I can count. But heading into Modern Warfare 4, I've realized Call of Duty isn't the only thing that needs to change. My coverage does too.

Why I'm Changing How I Cover Call of Duty Ahead of Modern Warfare 4

From this point forward, I'm done simply repeating what Activision announces and done just doing ranking after ranking after ranking. Going forward, I want to test the promises they make, call out the nonsense, and give credit where it's earned. The goal is to go on a journey to figure out whether Call of Duty can actually be fun again, starting right as the Modern Warfare beta lands.

This comes right on the brink of the viral SBMM situation, where a lot of people are upset about how matchmaking is being explained and handled, and the Call of Duty community account has been trying to play the role of witty meme generator in response. But with the beta starting, the focus needs to shift back to the actual game.

Modern Warfare 4's Beta Arrived With Its First Ever Campaign Mission

The Modern Warfare 4 beta started on August 22, and it was a big deal. It's the first beta to ever include a campaign mission. Despite that, a lot of people are writing it off before they even give it a chance. There was way more hype for Black Ops 1 and 2 on PS5, and it feels like the only Call of Duty related things people want to talk about right now are the SBMM debate and the community account.

This is also one of the earliest betas Call of Duty has ever gotten. We're in August, and the game doesn't launch until the end of October, yet the beta is already here. That's a lot of time for Infinity Ward to make adjustments and take community feedback into account, which is exactly what a recent Call of Duty post said they intend to do. I imagine this is intentional, because the stakes are genuinely high this year with GTA 6 on the horizon.

The Real Problem: Call of Duty Fans Are Ignoring Modern Warfare 4 for Black Ops 1 and 2

Black Ops 1 and 2 prove how much the fan base wants old Call of Duty and how disinterested they can be in new Call of Duty. Modern Warfare 4 has to be not just a good game but a great one, and I think Infinity Ward knows that, which is probably why this beta is happening so early. It gives them time to course correct. The problem is how many people actually care at this point.

I can tell you firsthand that my own community has been way more interested in the potential of Call of Duty ports, like the talk around Modern Warfare 3 and World at War possibly coming back, based on the views, analytics, and engagement I've tracked. I'm not claiming to speak for the whole community, but I know the people in my community are dedicated Call of Duty fans, even the frustrated ones who've set the game down, because they still love the franchise.

That's what makes this so strange to me. This super early beta should be a reason to get excited, and I don't know, I'm feeling different. To me, the worst case scenario for Activision isn't a community that's totally checked out on Call of Duty entirely, because then something bold could grab their attention. It's a community that's ignoring the new game and only paying attention to the old one. That's a much harder sell, because people don't miss Call of Duty the way they used to now that they actually have the Black Ops 1 and 2 they wanted.

Modern Warfare 4's Beta Is Getting Outsold by Kingdom Hearts on Steam

This is normally the point in the Call of Duty cycle where everyone would be talking about the game and discussing rumors and leaks, but this year everybody is focused on arguing with Call of Duty and its community account about SBMM. In case that sounds like an exaggeration, look at the Steam charts. The closed beta for Modern Warfare 4 required a pre-order to access, so its start on August 22 was a peak moment for pre-orders.

Instead, Modern Warfare 4 is getting outsold on Steam by Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5. There are more people buying re-releases of Kingdom Hearts than pre-ordering Modern Warfare 4 despite the beta launching the same day. That's not good, and it's not what you want to see, especially since Activision has been flooding the internet with Modern Warfare 4 information, trailers, and beta content that a lot of people simply aren't paying attention to. That's not anyone's fault, but it is the reality right now.

Franchise Fatigue Is Real, and I'm Hoping Sledgehammer Delivers Something Fresh

Why the marketing isn't connecting is an argument for another day, but I'll say this: after Modern Warfare 1, 2, 3, then the reboot Modern Warfare 1, 2, 3, 4, and Black Ops 6 followed immediately by Black Ops 7, franchise fatigue is 100 percent real. I've said for the longest time that we need a fresh reset on the Call of Duty franchise with a new sub series, and that has never been more true than right now.

I'm genuinely hoping Sledgehammer is cooking up something unique and new, because there's a point where things just stop hitting the way they used to, and I don't blame Activision, Infinity Ward, or Treyarch for that. People are simply tired.

My Advice to Activision: Keep Porting Old Games, and GTA 6 Is the Elephant in the Room

So what do you do now if you're Call of Duty? Here's my advice: keep porting the old games, and tell your developers that whatever Sledgehammer makes next absolutely has to play like the old school Call of Duty games. The majority doesn't want modern Call of Duty, they want old school Call of Duty, and we've seen that proven through how many people are playing and loving the Black Ops 1 and 2 ports. That feedback has to be listened to.

GTA 6 is the elephant in the room, launching less than a month after Modern Warfare 4. Activision has spent a long time trying to sell new Call of Duty games on nostalgia for the old ones, but now that people actually have the old ones again through these ports, nobody's focused on the new titles. Could Modern Warfare 4 still get attention? Sure, absolutely, if Infinity Ward actually takes the feedback and tailors the game to what people want. It has a chance to be decent, maybe even good. I don't think it has a chance to be great, and that's not on Infinity Ward, that's the GTA 6 wave coming.

The blueprint for new games is right there: if Activision makes a new Call of Duty that captures the energy of the old games, I believe it will sell. But for some reason there's a block. I don't know if they don't want to make an old school Call of Duty game, or if they're scared that new or modern players won't play it. I don't know. What I do know is what my community is showing me, and the ports are telling a huge story.

The Beta Could Still Win Me Over, But the Community Account Needs to Change

It's entirely possible the Modern Warfare 4 beta blows me away and generates real hype for the game. There are just a lot of things attacking it from the sides right now, and the Call of Duty community management account is not doing itself any favors in that fight. If anyone from that account is reading this, I'd genuinely welcome a conversation, because I've been around a long time and I know there are better ways to handle that account.

I'm asking anyone who plays the beta this weekend to come back and share their feedback, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the pretty, so it can be showcased and Infinity Ward has a chance to see the specific fixes and praise before launch. That's the whole point of a beta.

What did you think of the beta, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the pretty?