Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ESRB rating reveals distressing campaign content

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has been rated by the ESRB and its description shed a little light on what the campaign contains (via Charlie Intel). 

The ‘soft reboot’ of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be a return to the serious elements of the series, drawing inspiration from the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s Death From Above and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s No Russian missions. Its E3 demo involved eliminating terrorists hiding in a townhouse, in which a woman pleaded for her life and said she was a hostage, before reaching for a detonator. The other level had players take on the role of a child soldier being hunted by a Russian soldier. The enemy must be stabbed three times with a screwdriver before he is killed with a flashy finishing move, which was widely criticised as a jarring and surreal moment. 

Now, the game’s ESRB description has provided a few more hints of what players will expect from its gritty campaign. Modern Warfare will showcase missions that include ‘saving hostages, escaping/infiltrating war zones, and assaulting enemy compounds’; or, the bread and butter of the series. Sections of the game will put the fate of characters in the players’ hands, and they will be asked to ‘make choices that influence enemy behavior.’ For example, ‘using a pistol to threaten a suspect's family during an interrogation’ is an option, ‘if players select certain dialogue options, then a bound prisoner is seen executed’, and ‘timing actions to prevent terrorists from shooting hostages’ is a gameplay mechanic. It also states that players will be able to fail hostage situations.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare cutscenes will show disturbing content such as ‘a hostage killed by an explosive vest’ and ‘civilians (including children) killed by a gas attack’. Terrorists will be ‘attacking or shooting young characters (e.g., a boy held hostage; young siblings attacked in their home — players can control their ability to fight back).’ And, the protagonist will be subject to waterboarding in an interrogation.

With regards to its multiplayer modes, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare received criticism for its inclusion of white phosphorous in killstreaks. Igniting white phosphorous causes smoke that covers the movements of a military unit, but causes horrific burns to exposed skin and leads to almost certain death if inhaled. Amnesty International considered the use of the chemical weapon against civilians in the Syrian Civil War to be a war crime.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare launches for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on October 25.