Good news for all pre-order players: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will also get Early Access for the new DMZ mode, in addition to the campaign. Activision, along with Infinity Ward, revealed this in a blog post and a new gameplay trailer.
When Does Early Access for Modern Warfare 4 and DMZ Kick Off?
Here's the Early Access schedule for pre-order players:
- Friday, October 16: Campaign Early Access
- Tuesday, October 20: DMZ Early Access
- Friday, October 23: Full Release, including Multiplayer
Access is granted to everyone who has pre-ordered the Standard or Vault Edition on PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The classic multiplayer will remain locked until October 23rd.
What's New in Modern Warfare 4's DMZ Mode?
Infinity Ward calls this new version the series' "definitve extraction shooter." Players will enter the open combat zone, the Hajin Exclusion Zone, which is inspired by the campaign's events and locales. You'll loot, complete objectives, and battle against enemies and rival squads. A major new feature is persistent progression: progress is retained instead of being lost, unlike many prototypes.
Why Is This Second Run for DMZ So Important?
DMZ first appeared in 2022 with Modern Warfare 2 and was expanded upon in the following months. However, many ultimately viewed it as an unfinished prototype. Support for the mode ended in late 2023. Now, Activision is trying again, this time as a fully-fledged mode. Studio Creative Director Joe Cecot admits that they couldn't implement certain things during the beta and "left a lot on the table."
From our perspective, Early Access is a clever move: the mode gets a few days with real players before launch, allowing Activision to collect feedback. At the same time, the pre-order incentive maintains momentum. The open question remains whether DMZ will be compelling even without a strong PvE focus; find out more in our report on the PvE debate.
Source: IGN
Have you pre-ordered Modern Warfare 4 and are looking forward to trying DMZ early? Let us know in the comments!
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