Minimap is coming to Modern Warfare beta – but with a catch

Following backlash from the Call of Duty community, Infinity Ward are looking to implement the minimap into the Modern Warfare beta less than 48 hours after its release to the public.

The minimap has been a staple of Call of Duty multiplayer in previous years of the franchise, with regular game modes allowing players to see the position of both teammates and enemies relative to their position on the map.

However, prior to the beta’s release, the developers behind the latest iteration of the franchise announced the removal of the previously indispensable minimap — eradicating it entirely from the top-left corner of the traditional heads-up display (HUD) for players.

Infinity Ward ditched the minimap back in August with the multiplayer reveal.

Infinity Ward have noticed the furore from fans and popular personalities alike, as the lack of minimap continues to influence gameplay within the beta. 

• Read more: Syndicate, Pamaj, Censor, more respond to Modern Warfare’s minimap issue

Not only have the developers been working around-the-clock to fix bugs and connection issues that have plagued the beta up until now, but the team are also reintroducing the minimap (on a trial basis) with a patch that will be pushed out on September 14. 

Thus far, players have only been granted access to a minimap via a deployable Personal Radar or UAV scorestreak (albeit for a short period of time). 

• Read more: Modern Warfare devs respond to minimap controversy during Beta

Given that the feature has been integral to the multiplayer experience since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, not having an omnipresent map to assist with player positioning has led to longtime fans of the franchise voicing their opinion via social media and the Modern Warfare subreddit.

As per Williams’ tweet, the minimap will be ever-present, but will not show enemy gunfire. Therefore simply allowing players to understand their position relative to their teammates. 

Infinity Ward also addressed this issue in a Reddit post, stating: “We hear you loud and clear. Along with your feedback and the data we’re continuously collecting, we’ll be experimenting internally with a few different options and will keep you updated if we make any changes that you might see during the Beta.”

Of course, this isn’t the traditional minimap that the fans have previously become accustomed to, but it’s a start, and it shows that the development team are happy to learn from community feedback ahead of the official release on October 25.