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Modern Warfare 2 Writer: 'Airport Level Was a Risk We Had to Take'

Posted November 23, 2009 by David Radd

The story for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a direct continuation of events depicted in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, is unlikely though not completely outlandish. Jesse Stern revealed to GamePro that he batted around much more wacky ideas for Modern Warfare 2 when it was originally being conceived.

“In the beginning we talked about having things in Modern Warfare 2 like outbreaks, viruses, chemical warfare, and even outlandish things such as aliens and the living dead,” said Stern. “We worked our way through it before we finally ended up with a more grounded version of the real world as it's depicted in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. And as we were kicking around scenarios for conflict, we kept stumbling into things that were happening in real life, which was honestly unintentional.”

As for the now  infamous airport level, Stern remarked about the myriad of responses it got from playtesting and hopes that the power of the scene will help open new doors narrative-wise for gaming.

“We've been catching a lot of criticism for that and a lot of praise as well,” commented Stern. “People have really strong reactions to the airport scene and it's been fascinating because we all wanted to make it something that would be upsetting, disturbing, but also something people relate to. There's something instantly identifiable about it when it happens, when you're in that situation and the level begins.”

“I hope that game developers take the lesson that you've got to try things,” he continued. “You've got to go out on a limb sometimes. This is a triple-A game and the top grosser of all time with this huge budget behind it, yet we're still taking major chances wherever we can and the airport level was a risk we had to take. Sometimes you take huge risks and it really works. Sometimes it doesn't work at all. But if you don't take the chance, you're not going to make something new.”

Considering that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was probably going to be the best selling game of the year anyway, including a level like the one at the airport was a bold move, more so than releasing a four-player 2D Mario title was “courageous.”

David Radd has worked as a gaming journalist since 2004 at sites such as GamerFeed, Gigex and GameDaily Biz.