Activision all-but-confirms Modern Warfare 3 will let players carry over their hard-won loot from its predecessor

A gunman from Modern Warfare Warzone 2 stalks through an urban battleground.
(Image credit: Activision)

The technically-still-unannounced Modern Warfare 3 will most likely let you keep all of your hard-earned loot from last year's Modern Warfare 2. The official Call of Duty account Tweeted a "poll" the other day, asking players the following question:

A Tweet that reads: Let's get this out of the way... Should #MWII Operators, Weapons and Bundles carry forward into Call of Duty 2023? With a poll, one saying "Yes," another saying "Yes, when is reveal?"

(Image credit: @CallofDuty on Twitter)

"Yes," and "Yes, when is reveal?" doesn't exactly strike me as a stirring example of democracy, though considering a tone-deaf crossover with The Boys last week, it's pretty on brand.

This feels like a course correction after Warzone 2 flat-out wiped its player's progress last year, leading to assertions from one gamer that Infinity Ward might "never recover from this decision." Obviously this dark future never quite manifested, though some remain sceptical as to whether or not this means the game'll just be overpriced DLC.

In fact, this sentiment's been cropping up occasionally among an otherwise positive fan reception:

A tweet that reads: "everybody cheering this like it’s literally not gonna be a $70 update to MWII lol"

(Image credit: @BGarcN2 on Twitter.)

A tweet that reads: "This game really is just gonna be a fucking 70 dollar dlc isn't it"

(Image credit: @JaydenLGonzo on Twitter.)

It should be mentioned that a yearly release schedule is normal for the series, and cosmetics carrying over isn't any indicator of anything else about the game. Of course, that won't stop people from speculating—and I can see why one might take this as a sign the new entry won't have a lot for gamers to grind for.

But for the most part, players are just relieved and hyped:

A tweet that reads: "oh thank fuck it’s actually happening"

(Image credit: @quantumsapphx on Twitter.)

A tweet that reads: "Finally something I can get on board with."

(Image credit: @EOG_Jorey on Twitter.)

A tweet that reads: "ITS TIME"

(Image credit: @ModernWarzone on Twitter.)

A franchise with such a rapid release schedule does seem like the right place to take this tactic now that live-service microtransactions are as common as air. I can't imagine it's nice to drop a payload of cash on one game, only to lose all of that gear in the next. Either way, it's pretty funny that Activision's tweeting about Modern Warfare 3 before officially announcing it: that's certainly one way to generate hype.

Harvey Randall
Staff Writer

Harvey's history with games started when he first begged his parents for a World of Warcraft subscription aged 12, though he's since been cursed with Final Fantasy 14-brain and a huge crush on G'raha Tia. He made his start as a freelancer, writing for websites like Techradar, The Escapist, Dicebreaker, The Gamer, Into the Spine—and of course, PC Gamer. He'll sink his teeth into anything that looks interesting, though he has a soft spot for RPGs, soulslikes, roguelikes, deckbuilders, MMOs, and weird indie titles. He also plays a shelf load of TTRPGs in his offline time. Don't ask him what his favourite system is, he has too many.