The recently releasedCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is already proving to be a massive success, smashing previously set franchise records for sales milestones and now being bolstered even further by the release ofWarzone 2. Although the title already possessed a massive amount of fresh content at launch for fans to explore, it is now going even further with its implementation of new cosmetics and skins within the in-game shop.
One of the most controversial of these new cosmetics inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2are the new athlete skins, which depict some of the most famous faces in world soccer. Despite the concerns that this has raised for many in terms of reducing the realism of the new title, the franchise actually has a long history of much more peculiar in-game purchases.
RELATED:Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 Get New Patch, Improving Camo Screen and More
The New Athlete Skins of Modern Warfare 2
Players inModern Warfare 2can now buy a bundle of skins withinthe Modern Warfare FC event, which will only be available for a limited time. These limited in-game cosmetics have come about in tandem with the FIFA World Cup, which is one of the most-watched sporting tournaments in the world.
The Modern Warfare FC bundle concerns three in-game operators based on real-life athletes who are competing in the tournament, namely Brazil’s Neymar, France’s Pogba, and Argentina’s Messi, who is considered by many as one of the best soccer players in the world. This speaks to the level of buzz and acclaim surrounding this in-game event, with some seriously high-profile athletes now beingplayable characters inModern Warfare 2.
Many have drawn criticism to these new cosmetics, however, claiming how these real-world figures take the grounded realism of the title away, marring one of its most attractive selling points. With this being said, it is important that fans do not forget some of the past cosmetics of theCall of Dutyfranchise, many of which are even wilder than these aforementioned athlete skins.
Past Cosmetics of Call of Duty Titles
In terms of over-the-top cosmetic bundles from theCall of Dutyfranchise, players need to look no further than 2020’sWarzone. Many should remember thatWarzonefeatured a well-known Snoop Dogg bundlefor in-game use, which allowed players to embody the famous rapper as an operator with a slew of accompanying voice lines.
The firstWarzonewas also home to a Godzilla operator skinwith controversially vibrant coloring, as well as Halloween crossover skins like Ghostface from theScreamfranchise and Jigsaw from theSawIP. It is fair to say that the originalWarzoneand 2019’sModern Warfareheld the same core tenets of realism that the respective sequels of both titles possess, but this did not stop the games from also producing some overtly unrealistic and immersion-breaking in-game skins.
It is also worth noting that other athletes have historically appeared in the franchise, with former NFL playerMarshawn Lynch appearing inBlack Ops 3and UFC fighter Conor McGregor appearing inInfinite Warfare.When considering this, the question marks surrounding the recent Modern Warfare FC skins inMW2seem much less important. Given the apt tie-in to the massively popular World Cup, as well as how the operators are unlikely to stick out to those unfamiliar with the real-world athletes,Modern Warfare 2’srecent soccer skins are actually quite tame when compared to older franchise implementations.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is currently available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Absurd Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Movement Trick ‘G-Walk’ Discovered by Players
