Infinity Ward releases first intel drop for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

What you need to know

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) is the upcoming sequel to 2018's Modern Warfare reboot and is expected to release on October 28.
• Infinity Ward is the lead studio behind Modern Warfare 2, with development being further supported by nearly every other studio under the Activision banner.
• Posted on various social media sites, this intel drop is just the first of an anticipated series that will detail the development process behind Modern Warfare 2, giving players a sneak peek at the multiplayer maps expected to be in the game at launch.

Infinity Ward, the lead development studio behind this fall's Call of Duty release, has begun releasing intel drops on official Call of Duty accounts across various social media platforms. The intel drop released today features a devlog style vignette of team members discussing the development process behind Farm 18, a multiplayer map that players can expect to see in the upcoming beta for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, as well as the full game when it releases on Oct. 28.

In the video we hear Geoff Smith, the Director of Multiplayer Design for Infinity Ward discuss how the design for Farm 18 was based on the concept of the popular map from Modern Warfare (2019), Shoot House. Shoot House featured a hidden training ground scenario, and so to build upon that the team considered where additional training facilities could be located.  Farm 18 features that covert training location but tucked away inside of an industrial cement factory, giving players who rush the center of the map a close quarters combat experience while providing more trepid players an area on the outskirts of the map to pull away from the frenetic combat. Ashley Thundercliffe, a senior environment artist for Infinity Ward, further elaborates on Farm 18's design by further breaking down the map's balance by discussing foliage and prop layout to encourage certain gameplay behaviors. 

This intel drop is just the first in what is expected to be a series of vignettes leading up to the official multiplayer reveal during the Call of Duty: NEXT showcase event on Sept. 15. Farm 18 is the second map to be showcased so far as a flythrough of Marina Bay Grand Prix was previously revealed during the announcement for Call of Duty: NEXT. Both maps are expected to be playable during the open beta which is scheduled for later in September. Players who preorder Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will receive early access to the open beta.