Activision is forcing Modern Warfare Remastered players to buy Infinite Warfare before they can play.
The "Call of Duty" video game franchise has been an annual blockbuster since 2007's installment turned it into a juggernaut. Now, "Modern Warfare" is coming back to help 2016's "Infinite Warfare" take things in a different direction.
Since its announcement in May, "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare" has proven controversial. Not for making entertainment out of war, but for its abrupt departure from an established franchise setting.
In 2007, "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" introduced an expert arrangement of multiple lead characters, screen-juddering set pieces, cleverly paced action sequences and world-saving exploits. It set the tone for nearly a decade's worth of iteration, and a modern day context for military-themed first-person shooters. Of its peers, old World War II era rival "Medal of Honor" was snuffed out after "Modern Warfare" arrived and failed to make a comeback. The "Battlefield" franchise, already contemporized, found itself facing a mighty challenger.
But now it's "Call of Duty" that has to deal with changing times. "Destiny," "Titanfall," and "No Man's Sky" helped make sci-fi the new normal, and that's where "CoD" is headed next. Truth be told, the franchise has been inching away from its modern setting in a gradual but very definite manner since "Black Ops II" in 2012. So launching "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare" into space, complete with series-first dogfights and zero-gravity combat, might be a small step for the franchise in the grand scheme of things.
But it's been a leap too far for many of its fans. May's debut trailer amassed over 3 million YouTube downvotes, second only to the "Baby" video by a teenaged Justin Bieber. This is where the "Infinite Warfare" killer move comes in. Those decrying its abrupt change in setting, those calling for a return to the "Modern Warfare" ethos, are going to get it: "Modern Warfare Remastered" is included with Deluxe and Legacy editions of "Infinite Warfare."
Here's the catch, confirmed on October 3 (via CharlieIntel): though "MW Remastered" is distributed as a download, owners of the retail versions need the "Infinite Warfare" disc in their console's drive and an internet connection for it to work. Publisher Activision is ensuring that "Modern Warfare" fans can't stoke a secondhand market for "Infinite Warfare." Instead, they'll be closer to playing "Infinite Warfare" than ever before.
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 "console gaming, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, Activision, Infinity Ward")
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