Infinity Ward’s creative strategist Robert Bowling has moved to defend the length of Modern Warfare 2’s campaign mode, stating that the developer allows the game’s story to dictate how long the experience lasts.
Speaking with IGN, Bowling revealed that Infinity Ward’s philosophy boils down to providing gamers with an “intense experience” as opposed to developing an intentionally lengthy campaign of 20 hours, despite criticism from users stating that the original was too short.
"We try and focus on the experience we’re trying to deliver,” he said, adding, "and we really let the story dictate how long the game is."
"We never go into development saying ‘We’re going to make a 20 hour game because people want a 20 hour game’ – we want to deliver an intense experience where you walk away and go ‘wow, I want to play more,’" continued Bowling.
He then pointed to the meaty multiplayer component as a means for players to extend their Modern Warfare experience: "It’s okay for you to want to play more of something – that’s a good thing," he explained.
"And then you’ve got all these other modes. You might love the story, it left you wanting more but that’s great but jump into the multiplayer and 14 million people have been playing it for two years straight. That’s a long game, no matter how you look at it."
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is due out on November 10.