Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Is Already Struggling On Last-Gen Consoles

Call of Duty: Vanguard has hardly been out a month, yet the epic shooter's franchise fanbase at large is already looking to the future. Leaks and rumours have suggested that the next title could be a sequel to the remake of Modern Warfare that we got in 2019, which also heralded the arrival of Warzone.

It's certainly bizarre to potentially be getting a sequel to a remake to another Call of Duty game, but it's beside the point - fans are going to lap it up, and frankly, we'll still likely be there on day one to take it for a spin.

We might give the last-gen versions a miss though, as there are rumblings of a seriously downgraded game coming to the last generation of consoles.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - What's Going On With Last-Gen Versions?

There are ongoing whispers that the last-gen versions of the upcoming Modern Warfare 2 could be considerably weaker in quality than the ones coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. Leaker RalphsValve has suggested that features present in a new-gen version could end up being exclusive to stronger hardware.

"Removed features, intended for next-gen exclusivity, are still in limbo", says Ralph in a short Twitter thread. "As stock shortages remain a factor discouraging developers, and publishers alike to make that leap."

The idea is that while developers want to move to new-gen consoles, problems in the supply chain means not everyone has nabbed an Xbox Series or PS5 yet. Moving to a wholly new-gen release could cost you a serious chunk of your player base. 

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - What Features Will Be Missing From Last-Gen?

There's no telling yet what features could end up axed from the last-gen versions of Modern Warfare 2, but as developers get used to working on new-gen hardware, chances are, they'll get more ambitious. In turn, this might leave the most taxing features of the game exclusive to the new-gen hardware.

Perhaps if Modern Warfare 2 began to stray into more large-team game modes or destructible environments at Battlefield levels, it could be one of the features that's generation-locked - but we're just going to have to wait and see.

It's something that we could have seen coming eventually, but so soon into the console generation is certainly a surprise. Who knows what time will bring for the last-gen versions of the next Call of Duty, but one thing's for sure - you're going to be urged to upgrade sooner rather than later.