UPDATE: I have good news: CharlieIntel has spotted an Infinity Ward developer tweeting out a Forbes report about matchmaking in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare crossplay, which says that it's going to work similarly to Fortnite and use input matchmaking.
Check out the Forbes write up on matchmaking, they explained it well ☺️https://t.co/zNSEieCadBJune 2, 2019
Input matchmaking is when the game detects the input device you're using - i.e. mouse and keyboard, or controller for console players - and will place you in lobbies with other players who use the same device. So if you're going to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare solely on console, you'll only get matched with players who also play on console, and the same goes for PC. But don't worry: there's still a way to play with your friends who play on a different platform. If you and your PC-playing friend play on the same team, you'll both be put in a lobby with players using both controllers and a keyboard and mouse. Nice and fair.
Original article continues below.
The new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is targeting PC and console crossplay support, Infinity Ward and Activision announced today. It's unclear which elements of the game will feature crossplay - the competitive multiplayer is the most pertinent, obviously, though there's also the co-op campaign - but Infinity Ward says it's committed to "taking steps to unite the community."
First, read the studio's full announcement, because the wording is important: "With the launch of Modern Warfare, the team is taking steps to unite the community. First, the team plans for Modern Warfare to be played together across PC and console through crossplay support."
The word "plans" sticks out to me. Crossplay is thankfully becoming more and more common, and I imagine Infinity Ward and Activision wouldn't have mentioned it if they weren't confident, but it's worth noting that crossplay is still being discussed as a planned feature at this stage. Granted, crossplay involves some finicky technical and legal details, so it's possible nobody wanted to publicly lock-in anything before all the I's have been dotted, so to speak.
We reached out to Infinity Ward to ask if crossplay is certain, and if it will be available at launch or added in an update, but the studio wouldn't commit to anything in its reply. Additionally, while Infinity Ward mentioned crossplay "across PC and console," that's console, singular, so we'd also like to know if Modern Warfare will let PS4 and Xbox One players play together along with the PC crowd. Likewise, while I'm assuming Modern Warfare's newly revealed co-op missions will support online play, it's unclear if they'll support crossplay as well. Again, we couldn't get a straight answer, so hopefully Infinity Ward and Activision have more to share in the coming weeks and months.
One last crossplay detail: the PC version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be available exclusively through Battle.net, Activision Blizzard's dedicated launcher. This comes as no surprise after the Battle.net exclusivity of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
Modern Warfare will also do away with the "traditional" Call of Duty: Modern Warfare season pass model to prevent specific content from dividing players and, by extension, interfering with crossplay. You can also watch a breakdown of three campaign levels in the video below.
