A report by Eurogamer.net has unveiled that the newly-released title, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, was developed in a mere 16 months, roughly half the time usually allocated to a standard Call of Duty release.
Diving into the gritty details, over a dozen Sledgehammer employees, the developer behind the game, have spilled the beans to Bloomberg about their turbulent journey in crafting the latest game.
The key issue? An excruciating crunch period involving late nights and weekends due to the game's drastically shortened development cycle.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 reportedly developed in 16 months.
Modern Warfare 3 Bombshell
But here is where the plot thickens. Originally, Modern Warfare 3 was envisioned as an expansion to its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2, codenamed "Jupiter."
This expansion was intended to be set solely in Mexico, a departure from the globe-trotting experiences typical of the Call of Duty series. Insiders believe this focused approach would have been more attainable given the limited timeframe.
However, the project took an unexpected turn. The powers-that-be at Activision opted to reboot the game's development, pushing it into a full-fledged Call of Duty release, much to the dismay of Sledgehammer's creative team.
The result? It was an emotionally charged development cycle, with developers who had to work nights and weekends, feeling "betrayed" and "let down" by the decision-makers as they wrestled to finish the game.
More Controversial Revelations
The story takes another twist when we discover that Sledgehammer employees actually did not want to work on Modern Warfare 3 at all. Video Games Chronicle tells us that staff was upset because they were disclosed that this kind of crunch would not occur again after the studio's last game, Call of Duty: Vanguard was made with a similarly tight development schedule.
Intriguingly, during Modern Warfare 3's development, Sledgehammer Games staff found themselves at odds with executives from Infinity Ward, another prominent Call of Duty developer.
The process of seeking content approval and dealing with feedback proved inefficient and, at times, led to substantial and unwelcome changes, adding further challenges to an already rocky development journey.
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Sledgehammer Responds
Despite these tumultuous revelations, Sledgehammer's studio head, Aaron Halon, remains committed to supporting the game.
In a statement released on X (formerly Twitter), Halon defended Modern Warfare 3 as a "labor of love" and emphasized that they have worked diligently to realize a vision for years. He boldly refutes the claims of his disgruntled colleagues, stating, "Anything said to the contrary is simply not true."
The game will be released today, and reports indicate that Modern Warfare 3's campaign has received a lukewarm reception from critics who were granted early access.
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