Infinity Ward sneakily offers first look at Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer gameplay, and apparently it's all about movement now

Modern Warfare 4 developer Infinity Ward has been firing off episodes of its quasi-documentary series, From the Ward, at a rapid pace since the game's reveal last week. The show, filmed at the studio, has so far offered some insight into the development of the campaign, the ethos of multiplayer, and… the creation of the new design of long-serving character Ghost.

The episode titled Philosophy of Multiplayer is perhaps the most relevant, in part because it's where everyone got their first look at actual gameplay footage of multiplayer. Although this isn't the raw, unedited footage you'd expect, it does offer a surprisingly candid look at the intent behind many of the design decisions made with this iteration.

Philosophy of Multiplayer - From The Ward Ep. 2 | MW4

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The most interesting takeaway from Philosophy of Multiplayer is revealing how much IW has focused on movement with the sequel. Many would argue - and I'd tend to agree - that Call of Duty is not a movement shooter, and its movement shouldn't be treated as a core pillar of gameplay. The reality, however, is that recent years have exposed many in the community to the breakneck, often game-breaking tactics employed by its highest-level, ultra-competitive players. Many of those tactics are rooted in taking the game's movement to its limits, creating gameplay in which speed is comparable to classic arena shooters.

Prior to MW4's reveal, many in the community felt that IW would retreat to its classic, grounded ethos, limiting movement to resemble reality while allowing for some level of player expression. It's clear after watching that video that the studio has gone in the opposite direction, however.

The developer showed off multiple clips of what it considers the most fluid movement in any of its games. The character can carry their momentum into essentially any action, starting off with sprint, sliding over a car, and finally ending with a slide that lands the character on their back.

The new system also allows for smooth transitions between actions you don't typically see in COD multiplayer, such as climbing pipes, hanging off ledges, jumping to ledges and mantling over them, and so on.

Even more surprisingly, co-studio head Mark Grigsby directly addressed the criticisms some players levied against Modern Warfare 2's movement, which they felt was too restrictive compared to the fantastic - and lately very popular - MW2019. Grigsby further explained that the studio wanted to avoid limiting players' movement.

This is likely going to be the most divisive aspect about Modern Warfare 4, whose summer beta test will offer players their first chance to actually feel the changes for themselves. The full game is set for release on 23rd October on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 2.