Call of Duty: Modern Warfare won’t have loot boxes

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare won’t feature any loot boxes, publisher Activision has announced.

In a new blog post, Activision discussed how Modern Warfare’s in-game economy will work, which is something that players have been wondering ever since it was announced that the game won’t feature a Season Pass, instead opting to give all additional maps and modes to all players for free. That announcement understandably made players a bit concerned that the game would be overrun with loot boxes, but it would appear that won’t be the case.

Instead, Activision says that they’ll be using a Battle Pass system rather than a loot box system, similar to the systems used in the likes of Fortnite and Apex Legends. Modern Warfare’s Battle Pass will feature both a free and a paid-for premium stream, both of which will strictly feature cosmetic items only, and players will be able to see what’s including in the Battle Pass before purchasing it. You’ll also earn COD Points by playing the game which can then be spent on additional cosmetic items in the in-game store.

Activision was keen to point out that both the Battle Pass and the in-game store’s content is “a variety of cosmetic content that does not impact game balance”, and that “all functional content that has an impact on game balance, such as base weapons and attachments, can be unlocked by simply playing the game”, which is obviously good news. Interestingly, the Battle Pass won’t be available when the game launches on Friday 25th October, as Activision is “focused on making the Day One experience awesome”. Activision says that they’re aiming to launch the Battle Pass later this year.

So, no Season Pass, all additional maps and modes being free to all players on all platforms simultaneously, and a Battle Pass system over a loot box system. So far so good for Modern Warfare, with the exception of the Survival Mode controversy, but we’ll have to wait and see if Activision stick to their word or introduce loot boxes into the game at a later date – it has happened before. Fingers crossed that they don’t.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare launches for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on Friday 25th October.