New leaks suggest Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 may fall short of delivering a truly fresh multiplayer experience.
Early information points to the 2026 entry playing much like 2022’s Modern Warfare II, a game that remains one of the franchise’s most polarizing in recent years.
MW4’s multiplayer is said to reuse much of MWII’s foundational design, according to a trusted leaker.
Nothing is officially confirmed yet, but talk of reviving MWII’s multiplayer direction has already reignited debate, especially because of how polarizing that game was at launch.
What are the leaks actually claiming about Modern Warfare 4?
Modern Warfare 4 is already drawing attention for the wrong reason, as new leaks suggest its multiplayer may feel far less like a fresh sequel and much more like a rerun of 2022’s Modern Warfare II.
The claim comes from established leaker TheGhostOfHope, who says MW4’s multiplayer “in its current state” is essentially a complete copy of MWII, with only a few notable tweaks.
Although features like perk charging have reportedly been removed and ADS and slide penalties reduced, the game’s core design philosophy is said to be unchanged.
What really set the community off is the additional detail that MW4 allegedly has a ton of visual recoil, similar to MWII, which many players remember as one of the most frustrating parts of that game’s gunfights because it could make tracking targets harder during sustained fire.
Which design choices from MWII are fans afraid will return?
Beyond raw numbers, MWII’s multiplayer backlash was also rooted in specific design choices that reshaped how matches played.
Many longtime players didn’t like the slower pace and argued it reduced the traditional skill ceiling, while others felt it was more accessible and narrowed the gap between casual players and sweats.
The minimap debate is a clear example, as MWII’s removal of red-dot pings for unsuppressed gunfire forced players to rely on audio, slowing the flow of combat and dividing opinions on whether the change was more tactical or simply less readable.
When you combine that with heavy visual recoil, muzzle flash, and other visual effects, critics said it became too easy to lose track of enemies during engagements.
So when the leak claims MW4 repeats MWII’s core structure and even brings back the same recoil “problem,” it immediately triggers the fear that Infinity Ward is doubling down on a philosophy that already sparked years of arguments.
How does this square with Activision’s promise of “meaningful” innovation?
The timing stands out given Activision’s recent claims about the franchise’s future, with the publisher saying it will stop releasing consecutive entries within the same sub-series and positioning the change as a push for “meaningful, not incremental” innovation.
In that context, a Modern Warfare 4 that reportedly feels like “MWII again” is a bad look, at least perception-wise.
Regardless of release timing, fans argue the bigger issue is design. Reusing a controversial multiplayer blueprint (especially one tied to declining retention) conflicts with the goal of delivering a different experience every year.
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