Infinity Ward is bringing back Call of Duty’s Hardcore mode for Modern Warfare Season 02, drawing cheers but also some grumbling from a community has been calling for more multiplayer support for the popular shooter.
The news was revealed in a tweet confirming that Hardcore is back and also encouraging players to follow the studio’s blog for additional updates. As the name implies, Hardcore mode is for Call of Duty players who want greater realism, removing the HUD and making bullets far deadlier. It has been a Call of Duty staple since 2007’s original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, but it was absent from the launch of last year’s Modern Warfare 2.
Hardcore mode is part of a long wishlist for Modern Warfare 2 players, including red dots on the minimap, map voting, and issues acquiring additional camos. Fans have also been calling for additional maps to augment the three that are currently in the game.
No HUD? No problem. Hardcore is back!
Follow Season 02’s Multiplayer updates in our studio blog later this week.
— Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) January 22, 2023
It’s all part of larger Season 2 updates for both Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0, both of which were delayed roughly two weeks in response to player feedback. It will see a host of updates to both games, with Modern Warfare 2 set to get several more maps, new weapons, and Ranked Play.
Modern Warfare 2 was released back in October, with our multiplayer review calling it the “most fun we’ve had in CoD multiplayer in a good long while.” It was followed by Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 in November, which we said was a “positive update” thanks to positive additions like proximity chat and an updated ping system, the former encouraging players to roleplay as taxi drivers.
Season 2 is expected to release on February 15. Infinity Ward said it would release more info later this week.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.