Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Preview: Warzone takes a break in favour of the ambitious DMZ

After Infinity Ward wrapped up their extensive presentation on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, specifically focussing on its campaign and multiplayer mode, one final segment awaited us: a new DMZ. "We actually made a proper DMZ this time" were the words that kicked off the demonstration, which, as well as drawing a few laughs from us in the audience, gave me the impression that this is something they've put a lot of resources into creating. The developer leading the presentation was keen to emphasise how they had listened to and taken on board players' feedback regarding the previous DMZ offering, and how they had improved the concept over the four years that have passed since then.

At some point during the campaign in Modern Warfare 4, some sort of nuclear reactor will go off and fill a large area with radioactivity, and it's in those parts that the DMZ then takes place. It's described as a vast sandbox containing everything from AI-controlled enemies whose difficulty increases the longer you remain in the area, to environment-based puzzles, story missions, and shorter raids. The DMZ team has worked closely with their colleagues who designed the game's campaign to weave in as much environment-based storytelling as possible, and the presentation made it clear that there are plenty of small stories about life before and during the disaster embedded in the surroundings for those who keep their eyes open. The map is divided into three distinct landmasses representing North and South Korea, as well as Russia.

In DMZ, we take on the role of a secret CIA agent deployed to secure, retrieve, and destroy dangerous military technology. Essentially, it's an "extraction shooter" which, as usual, places us in a world alongside a host of other players, where it's up to each individual to form alliances or shoot at anything that moves. As we level up, we'll acquire better gear and more skills to tackle greater threats over longer periods. As part of this, we also have the option to customise our operators to better suit our chosen playstyles. Each "loadout" has its own equipment and skill tree, which are then lost when said operator meets their demise. There is, however, a safety net that allows us to spend in-game currency to send in a rescue squad to retrieve your defeated character, with the catch that the more developed your operator was at the time of their death, the more expensive it becomes to revive them. It can therefore be a difficult balancing act to decide whether it's worth spending resources on a rescue operation or whether it's better to save our money and start over from the beginning instead.

There are three different ways to play DMZ. Story missions focus on the overarching narrative, where we select a mission, are matched with a group of other players undertaking the same mission in the same location, which is likely to lead to a whole host of unique events that will probably end in firefights one way or another. The second mode is something they call "Dynamic Operations" and features the same type of matchmaking as in the story missions. We can therefore expect to interact with a host of other players here too. As soon as we start a dynamic operation, we are given a main objective, where this might, for example, involve blowing up a missile or a server room somewhere on the map. What differs from how it worked in the previous version of DMZ is that all the sub-objectives between the start and the final objective are completely randomised, so even though we're moving amongst a lot of other operators, it's not a given that they're at the same stage as us. The third and final mode gives us complete freedom in the open world, allowing us to explore everything at our own pace and tackle exactly what we want, when we want. An exciting detail is that everything in DMZ takes place simultaneously and on the same map. It's therefore possible for us, in "free roam", to seek out and engage with players attempting to undertake story missions or dynamic missions.

The world itself is also said to be a very vibrant and interactive one. At all times, it will be possible to encounter travelling convoys, air traffic, and patrolling enemies of varying difficulty levels, everything from simple cannon fodder soldiers to tougher commanders, combat helicopters, and armoured juggernauts. By defeating enemies, our "star level" will increase and tougher opposition will begin to notice our presence and push back until we flee or meet a violent demise, the only two remaining options for an exit.

As an extra tool for survival, Infinity Ward has introduced a new stealth system designed to help balance the threat level to some extent. For example, we'll be alerted as soon as an enemy is about to spot us, so we can quickly manoeuvre out of the way to avoid detection, while silenced weapons will also help to control the opposition without increasing the star level.

The dynamic weather is also a key part of keeping the DMZ varied and immersive. The world will feel like completely different places depending on whether we're moving through blazing sunlight or rumbling storms, and the climate will also vary over the course of our stay. As part of the world constantly evolving, the weather will also become increasingly harsh the longer we remain in the area, signalling that it's time to leave.

Between missions, we return to our so-called "forward operating base", which acts as a hub world in the DMZ. As our rank increases, we unlock new stations within the base that allow us, amongst other things, to 3D-print equipment, purchase various supplies, and modify weapons. Out in the field, a lot will depend on the type of loot we manage to find, where the aim here is to ensure that everything we bring back to our base is meaningful in some way. On the one hand, it's naturally about picking up classic gear such as larger bags, weapons, and "killstreaks", but it's just as important to secure various types of raw materials that can be put to use in various crafting processes.

As a significant part of the Call of Duty spirit is based on PvP - when players face off against other players - Infinity Ward wanted to include an extra incentive to seek out and defeat other operators in the area. The result is a bounty system whereby players who have sought out and killed enough other players become wanted, with a price on their head. Those who continue their murderous rampage will eventually end up in a Wanted status where other players can pay currency to receive information on their whereabouts. The concept results in two types of PvP players: one who thrives on killing everyone they see, whilst the other focuses on hunting down the killers for the bounty.

Infinity Ward is promising a lot and delivered its presentation with great enthusiasm, which gives me the impression that this is a labour of love for the studio. We can certainly expect more information about the mode in the coming weeks, and we'll have the final answer when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is released on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 2 on October 23.