Infinity Ward has revealed that the popularCall of Dutymap Shipment was included in the originalModern Warfareby mistake. The latest iteration of the hectic, close-quarters map inModern Warfare 2is used by manyCall of Dutyplayers to grind out battle passes, XP, or weapon levels, as the tiny map makes way for immediate engagements around every turn.
In 2007,Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfarerevolutionized the AAA first-person shooter and cemented theCall of Dutyfranchise as the king of FPS for years to come. Known for being the smallestCall of Dutymap ever, Shipment made its debut inCall of Duty 4. The tiny map, featuring just four shipping containers in the center, became a staple of theModern Warfareseries, providing players with nonstop, ridiculous action for hours on end. Over the years,Call of Dutyhas made a habit of remaking beloved maps from older games and bringing them into new titles, usually as post-launch additions. Shipment has been no stranger to this practice, having been part of 2016’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, the 2019 rebootCall of Duty: Modern Warfare,Sledgehammer Games’Call of Duty: Vanguard, and most recentlyCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
RELATED:Hilarious Modern Warfare 2 Clip Shows Player Trapping Opponent On Shipment
In an interview with Dexerto,Call of DutyMultiplayer Design Director Geoff Smith revealed that the iconic map wasn’t supposed to be in the final release ofCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfareand that its inclusion was an accident. Smith went on to explain thatShipment was originally a split screen mapthat was used for internal testing, but the Multiplayer lead forgot to remove it before the game’s release.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfarecame out around the time when the franchise was kicking into its annualized release cadence which is still churning to this day. BeforeSledgehammer Gamesbecame a mainCall of Dutydeveloper in 2014, Treyarch and Infinity Ward had been frantically alternating releases each year. With 2009’sModern Warfare 2very likely in early production at the timeCall of Duty 4shipped, it’s possible that developers at Infinity Ward had so much going on at the time that the removal of Shipment fromModern Warfare’s final map pool got lost in the shuffle.
LikeCall of Duty: Black Ops' Nuketown map, Shipment has become the map that followsModern Warfarewherever it goes. As one ofCall of Duty’s most iconic and beloved multiplayer playgrounds, fans are likely thankful that its removal slipped the minds of developers asCall of Duty 4was getting ready to shake the industry.
MORE:It’s Time For Call of Duty To Return To One Fictional War
