Every publisher and developer has been trying to avoid the black hole that is Grand Theft Auto 6—easier said than done, given that Rockstar has shifted the GTA 6 release date several times now just to bait the entire industry. Even Call of Duty is giving it a wide berth, with Modern Warfare 4 opting for a late October launch rather than the typical November debut, though it’s not a first for the series.
But Call of Duty’s got nothing to worry about—at the very least, one of the best-selling games every year isn’t ‘free’ on Game Pass anymore. After all, it’s still one of the behemoths that rolls around every year, GTA 6 be damned. In an interview with Destructoid, co-studio head of Infinity Ward, Mark Grigsby, said going head-to-head with arguably the biggest game in the industry’s history isn’t any extra pressure.
“I always feel pressure. I’ve been in this industry for 28 years, and every product that I have put out, I have the weight of the world, even not as a studio head, as a developer,” Grigsby explained. “It’s a lot of pressure to make sure that you’re creative enough to entertain the masses.”
“I’ve been a fan of GTA since the top-down [games] back in the day. And I’m looking forward to playing it. Afraid of it? No … I think it’s healthy for the industry to have juggernauts like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty and Fortnite, and whatever other major studio or product that comes out, to uplift … And, you know, it’s a little head-to-head, that’s great.”
“Pressure is pressure,” Grigsby adds, “but we’re always trying to maintain and make sure that we are delivering a top-notch, top-of-the-line product.”
Our own Morgan Park got to play Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer at Infinity Ward recently, and while he’s not convinced it’s a leap forward, he’s confident it’ll be the best-playing Call of Duty in years. At the very least, it’s trying to fix Modern Warfare 2’s controversial changes.
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