The 2019 reboot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare places great emphasis on realism. The game wants to do things differently than its direct predecessors, focusing on an authentic image of modern warfare instead of exaggerated brute action. In its latest Intel drop, Mark Grigsby, Animation Director of the Infinity Ward team has shared fresh details on the weapons and upcoming weapon system of Modern Warfare 2019.

Every weapon will have its own realistic feel. Be it a sniper or a machine gun with a drumroll magazine. Image: Activision

The devil is in the details

The new weapons engine is meant to open up completely new possibilities, with weapons feeling more realistic than ever and behaving as they would in the real world. As we know, the devil is in the details and especially in the animations of the weapons. The new animations, therefore, will take the weight and sway of weapons into account, whether in action or idling. The animations will be completely revamped with a myriad of new additions, like natural small muscle movements affecting the weapon's hold and movement. In general, weapons will react much stronger and more realistic to their environment. As a result, if you are moving up a staircase with your weapon, the animation will take this into account in a different way, compared to just standing still - the weapon will move differently and won't look like it's just fixed to the camera. Even if you look around or change your viewing direction, the weapon animation will be detached from the view.

Reload animations have also changed a lot. The animation now depends on whether the magazine is full or nearly empty, with the type of magazine playing an important role - everything is now physically taken into account. With the aim of providing players with a different feel of power for each weapon, all movements during each of these reloads will be crisp, strong and aggressive.

Multiplayer is likely to feel completely different, with a big focus on the timing of your reloads. Image: Activision

How does tactical reloading work?

Tactical reloading allows you to reload while aiming down sights - a new feature for the Call of Duty series. If you've been shooting and reloading in one of the predecessors of the game before, your weapon always left target mode and then started the reload animation. In Modern Warfare 2019, your weapon will be able to remain on target, enabling you to remain in combat more actively, better keeping an eye on your surroundings. Whether this will change players habits, especially in multiplayer remains to be seen, as reloading at the right moment is a key ingredient to surviving. Tactical reload will make keeping an eye on moving targets over an extended periods of time easier, in the end saving you valuable (milli-)seconds that can decide whether you win or lose.

The so-called Mounting System will furthermore allow you to support your weapon on objects like walls and door frames. As soon as players are near such surfaces, they can use this function, making the weapon more stable and less prone to recoil. The effects of weapons will greatly differ depending on the gun and its caliber. If enemies are hit by large-caliber projectiles, they can be hurled backwards through the air. In addition, you can quickly destroy and tear down walls depending on the caliber of your bullets.

Beware of the Juggernaut, one of the killstreaks in Modern Warfare 2019. Image: Activision

Particles, such as sparks, fire or smoke, will change adequately with the power of the respective weapon and sound adding an additional layer to the realism. Among other things, every weapon will sound differently, depending on whether you fire it outdoors or inside a confined space. Probably, the most important reorientation of Modern Warfare 2019 is the dark setting and stating of emotional scenes, which will deal with very controversial topics - players will experience the death of their family through the eyes of a little girl and a poison gas attack.

In addition, Infinity Ward does without a zombie mode. Campaign, co-op and multiplayer will be seamlessly linked. Rumour has it, that the PvP matches will feature nighttime battles in total darkness, where all players will have to heavily rely on night vision equipment.