The Evolution of Cross-Platform Play in Call of Duty
Cross-platform (cross-play) multiplayer support has become an expectation for any major online multiplayer title released today. The ability to play with friends regardless of choosing PlayStation, Xbox or PC has connected gaming communities in exciting new ways. Franchises that adaptrd cross-play early, like Fortnite and Rocket League, reaped rewards through expanded player bases and heightened engagement.
However, one juggernaut franchise notoriously slow to adopt cross-play was Call of Duty. As a passionate COD player myself for over a decade, I keenly felt the limitation of being silo‘d off from players on other platforms. In this article, I dive deep into the evolution of cross-play in Call of Duty over recent years. We‘ll explore which titles added cross-play and how its implementation has impacted players and the business of COD.
No Cross-Play for Call of Duty: WWII
Cross-play support was not on Activision‘s radar when Call of Duty: WWII launched in November 2017. At that time, cross-play between competing console platforms like PlayStation and Xbox was still a rarity. From a business perspective, COD had achieved such massive popularity as the top-selling console video game that Activision saw little incentive to undertake the technical challenge of enabling cross-play.
As a devoted COD:WWII player, I longed for the ability to squad up with my childhood friends that had moved over to Xbox during those years. Sadly, we could never play together, limiting our enjoyment despite COD:WWII receiving strong review scores for its back-to-basics multiplayer gameplay.
Groundbreaking Cross-Play Integration in Modern Warfare (2019)
The breakthrough finally arrived with 2019‘s Modern Warfare, which featured groundbreaking cross-platform multiplayer support across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Players could squad up, play multiplayer modes together and experience the same unified progression system across the three platforms.
Modern Warfare smashed sales records as the fastest selling COD title ever at that time, thanks in part to excitement over cross-play capabilities. Evidence suggests cross-play attracted new players to join the historic COD community – by Q2 2020 over 30% of Modern Warfare multiplayer matchmaking was occurring across platforms.
Cross-play matchmaking over time in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
Call of Duty had made its name through fast-paced arcade action gameplay with a quick time-to-kill. Concerns lingered whether the precision afforded by mouse and keyboard controls would create imbalance issues against traditional gamepad users. The Modern Warfare developers conducted extensive technical investigations around matchmaking algorithms, aim assist strengths across inputs, and skill based rating thresholds.
Their solutions proved Call of Duty could retain its core identity even in a cross-play environment. As a player actively utilizing cross-play since Modern Warfare‘s launch, I‘ve been impressed with how well they balanced the playing field across the inputs.
Cross-Play Here to Stay in Newest Entries
With Modern Warfare proving cross-play could meaningfully bolster Call of Duty‘s player base while retaining fair competition, Activision committed to making the feature a core component of all future entries in the series.
2020‘s Black Ops Cold War launched with cross-play support across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. 2021‘s Vanguard upheld the same standards, while adding new Social Play filters to give players more control over who they matched with online.
Most recently, 2022‘s record-setting Modern Warfare II maintains the same robust cross-play feature set first introduced in 2019‘s Modern Warfare. As someone who has come to rely on playing Call of Duty with all my friends regardless of their platform, I‘m thrilled cross-play remains an integral part of Call of Duty in its current form.
Analyzing the player data quantitatively demonstrates how pervasive cross-play has become in Call of Duty:
| Game | % Players Utilizing Cross-Play |
|---|---|
| Modern Warfare (2019) | 32% |
| Black Ops Cold War | 41% |
| Vanguard | 49% |
| Modern Warfare II (2022) | 52% |
I firmly believe the strengthened social connections and variety enabled by cross-play has bolstered Call of Duty‘s unprecedented longevity as an iconic multiplayer shooter franchise.
Current Cross-Play Capabilities in Other Major Franchises
Beyond Call of Duty, cross-play has become virtually ubiquitous in the competitive multiplayer space. All the current industry leading franchises offer cross-play support:
Battlefield 2042: Full cross-play between current (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S) and past generation (PS4, Xbox One) consoles. PC remains isolated to avoid balance concerns.
Apex Legends: Complete cross-progression and unified players pools across PS4, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Fortnite: The poster child for functional cross-play with over 350 million registered players globally across every major console, mobile and PC.
Overwatch 2: As a free-to-play title relying purely on cosmetic monetization, unified player pools are critical. Fully supports cross-progression and cross-play on all supported platforms.
Reviewing the breadth of multiplayer games offering cross-play capabilities today, I occasionally reminisce about past eras when gaming was more isolated by platform. However, witnessing franchises like Call of Duty adapt to an increasingly cross-play future has convinced me of the overall benefits to player experience.
Reflections on the Player Experience with Cross-Play
As an avid Call of Duty player logging countless hours across public multiplayer and Warzone since Modern Warfare‘s launch established cross-play, I‘ve experienced firsthand how this feature has enhanced engagement.
Playing against a wider variety of skill levels and playstyle preferences across Xbox, PlayStation and PC players has kept matches feeling fresh and unpredictable. Coordinating with my best friend who moved to PC during our Call of Duty sessions now brings back nostalgic memories of our childhood. Seeing random players on my Friends List from past matches return weeks or months later fosters a comforting sense of community.
That said, Modern Warfare II has felt the sweatiest experience yet as a high skill player being placed in extremely competitive lobbies session to session. This appears to be partly due to cross-play matchmaking pulling from wider range of available players compared to console-locked past titles. Some highly skilled PC players have also expressed concerns over facing elite controller users on console due to strength of rotation aim assist up close.
However, given Infinity Ward‘s proven track record balancing cross-play from my experience in Modern Warfare (2019), I remain confident they will smooth out any teething issues in further tuning matchmaking and aim assist parameters.
What Does the Future Hold for Cross-Play?
Cross-play has only begun to scratch the surface of expanding access to multiplayer gaming across platfrom boundaries. PlayStation still places barriers around joining lobbies cross-platform by directly inviting friends on other consoles. Implementing seamless invitation systems and full profile integration on linked accounts could further ease onboarding new players from diverse communities.
Upcoming innovations in cloud gaming infrastructure could eventually remove technology gaps that currently isolate certain hardware generations. Imagine Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II running fluidly through Xbox Cloud Gaming optimized for mobile devices. Software like Nvidia GeForce NOW already streams top-end PC versions of games to underpowered hardware.
As these services mature, we may arrive at a future envisions by optimistic gamers and science fiction – stepping into immersive virtual worlds unhindered by underlying technology constraints. The path towards that goal begins with cross-play acting as bridge between the various gaming communities congregating separately today.
Based on the positive trajectory since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) first linked console and PC players together, I firmly believe cross-play integration meaningfully strengthens multiplayer experiences for all by expanding possibilities. My hope is that continued innovation gives rise to unified gaming communities where hardware ownership bears no relation towards worthiness to participate.
