Activision’s Justification for Its Much-Maligned Call of Duty Launcher Is Falling on Deaf Ears

ign.com:

Activision has moved to justify its new Call of Duty launcher ahead of the release of Modern Warfare 3, touting easier file management and seamless title switching.

Call of Duty HQ is the new platform from which Call of Duty games such as the imminent Modern Warfare 3 are launched, and replaces the Modern Warfare 2 app. It is not possible to jump straight into Modern Warfare 3, Modern Warfare 2, or battle royale Warzone via their own dedicated apps. Rather, players must log into Call of Duty HQ, find their game of choice via a Netflix-style launcher, then load the app. Call of Duty HQ is required to play either Modern Warfare 3, 2, or Warzone, and unlike parts of those games, Call of Duty HQ cannot be deleted if you want to play.

Modern Warfare 3, which was reportedly originally planned as a DLC expansion for last year’s Modern Warfare 2 before changed to a full price standalone release, sits within Modern Warfare 2. On PlayStation 5, Modern Warfare 3 does not have a Platinum trophy, much to the annoyance of players. Activision has yet to explain this, despite multiple requests for comment from IGN.

In a blog post, Activision said Call of Duty HQ “was developed to bring players benefits like Carry Forward, easier file size management, and more seamless switching between Call of Duty: Warzone and the latest annual releases”. “We are continuing to work on fine-tuning Call of Duty HQ to optimize the player experience as we launch Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 later this week.”

However, after a whopping 100GB+ download released overnight, Call of Duty HQ is anything but seamless. Players have expressed frustration at multiple logins just to get to the game they want to play, confusion around navigation the various menus, and