Less than two months removed from the launch of the latest Call of Duty installment, and the developers of Modern Warfare in Infinity Ward are already trying to figure how to get the players who’ve fallen off to start playing again.

In a situation like this, it’s best to be direct. The launch of Modern Warfare has been a commercial success for the Call of Duty franchise and its developers, Infinity Ward. But extra money in the bank doesn’t always equate to a happy fan base.

Modern Warfare’s launch has been marred with numerous issues that have been called out by the community, including bugs and exploits, map design, skill-based matchmaking, weapon balance, and more. The developers have been hard at work to resolve these issues since the game came out.


Their most recent patch, the December 6 patch, fixed various issues, and also restored the fan-favorite Shoot House 24/7 playlist.

But the team at Infinity Ward is interested in more than just appeasing their current player base, they also want to get the players who’ve stepped back from the game to come back into the fold.

A massive survey from the Modern Warfare developers has been sent to players who’ve played less and less of the game since it released, asking players point-blank what would convince them to come back. A reddit user shared a screenshot of the huge list of options given.


Some of the options given reflect common issues with Modern Warfare that have been brought up by casual and pro players. Multiple selections relate to the Spec Ops mode, which has drawn criticism for its bugginess and disappointing gameplay.

General gameplay problems like spawns and weapon balance also have options to select, and while skill-based matchmaking isn’t specifically mentioned, there is an option regarding “match balance issues.” The developers have been surprisingly non-transparent about SBMM, forcing players to look for answers themselves.

Read more: Activision patents reveal SBMM systems potentially used in Modern Warfare

While the idea of Activision and Infinity Ward taking active steps to try and reclaim lost players can be viewed as proactive, it can also be considered concerning that they’ve resorted to this kind of survey so quickly after the game’s release.


With a big undertaking in the Call of Duty League fast approaching, it’s clear that the goal for the developers is to retain and regain its player base to keep the competitive scene supported.

We shall see how responses to this survey affect future update to Modern Warfare heading into 2020.