Modern Warfare 2 lays the groundwork for Call of Duty’s future, including Warzone

polygon.com:

Every new Call of Duty game is a step forward in one way or another, but Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 aims to be more of a leap. The latest entry in the first-person shooter series introduces a brand-new engine, new AI, new customization options, a new battle royale game, and even the return of the franchise to Steam.

All these features were announced by developer Infinity Ward on Wednesday, immediately after the studio unveiled the game itself. While details on each system were a little light, Polygon attended a reveal event at Infinity Ward where the studio expanded on some of the leaps it hopes to make with Modern Warfare 2 when the game is released on Oct. 28.

Here are some of the biggest highlights of how Infinity Ward plans to update the Call of Duty franchise with Modern Warfare 2:

Modern Warfare 2 is the first Call of Duty game being built on the series’ new, unified engine. According to Infinity Ward, this engine will be used across the franchise, including in the upcoming Warzone sequel, and is being co-developed by Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games, the three studios that lead development on Call of Duty’s main franchise installments.

The aim with the new engine is to ensure that every studio is working with the same tools, without losing the identity and unique charms of each individual Call of Duty subseries.

Sometime between the release of Modern Warfare 2 on Oct. 28 and the end of the year, Infinity Ward will also release a sequel to Call of Duty: Warzone. Though the new game doesn’t have a name yet, we know it will include a massive new map, similar to Verdansk, that will include many of the improvements of Modern Warfare 2, including new driving game mechanics, water, swimming, and