Infinity Ward has released a beta update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, addressing player concerns regarding the game's time to kill (TTK) and making adjustments to several weapons. The update was deployed just before the beta's conclusion.
Several weapons received tuning following fan feedback. The ISO Nightshade SMG, for instance, was buffed with improvements to its damage. The PPSH, Krait P68, Han 86, and Hyeon Burst also saw various buffs, with the Hyeon Burst's headshot damage multiplier increasing from 1 to 1.1. Conversely, some weapons were nerfed, most notably the M4 Hurricane variant, which had its damage output reduced.
The studio also took the opportunity to refine the game's TTK, which had been a point of contention during the first beta weekend due to its perceived speed. Post-adjustments, the TTK in Modern Warfare 4 is now closer to Infinity Ward's intended balance.
"Over the weekend, we've been reviewing your gameplay and feedback carefully," a statement from the studio read. "We feel that TTK on average is much closer to where we wanted it to be after Weekend 1, but there's always room to refine individual weapons to make sure they're balanced across the board. These changes provide tuning for each class to do well at its role."
Infinity Ward emphasized a commitment to being responsive to player feedback, a stated goal that contrasts with perceived issues during the development and support of Modern Warfare 2 (2022). Studio Multiplayer Creative Director Joe Cecot highlighted the improved communication strategy. "I think in MW2, we definitely didn't communicate as well as we should have," Cecot stated in an interview with IGN. "I think we've remedied that in crazy ways with this project." He further noted that this enhanced communication extends to live support and is a studio-wide initiative, with multiple studio heads and official accounts posting in unison to keep players informed.