Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is getting a small update today that includes the latest iteration of Infinity Ward‘s iconic Shipment map. The map arrives just four days after Modern Warfare 4’s launch last Friday, 23rd October, which is unusually quickly.
Shipment is the original Call of Duty ‘small map’. First introduced in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007, the map is designed to offer a breakneck pace of combat no other multiplayer map could. Though there have been Shipment-like small maps over the years – chiefly Treyarch’s infamous Nuketown in the Black Ops sub-franchise – nothing could quite replicate Shipment’s dizzying rhythm of mayhem.
Shipment’s arrival in Modern Warfare 4 was expected, of course; the developer even announced the 27th October release date in a blog post prior to launch. However, joining the roster so close to the game’s launch is notable.
Shipment typically arrives two or so weeks post-launch, usually in a game’s first live service season. It’s been part of Modern Warfare 2019, Modern Warfare 2 (2022), and Modern Warfare 3 (2023). A few other COD titles have versions inspired by it, though not entirely identical, such as COD: WW2’s Shipment 1944.
It’s long been assumed, perhaps cynically, that Shipment comes just as player numbers start falling off. As one of the series’ most popular maps, the thinking is that bringing it back attracts a cohort of the audience who only play that map. It’s often used to level up guns, and help get player levels up since the kill count is usually higher than in other, larger maps.
Indeed, Shipment typically releases alongside a dedicated, 24/7 playlist, meaning you don’t have to hope for it to show up in the normal map rotation. Infinity Ward didn’t say whether we can expect the same playlist this time around, though it is likely.
As with each new iteration, Modern Warfare 4 Shipment features the classic layout but in an entirely new environment inspired by locations from the game. This version has a more urban landscape look that takes after the very first version’s muted colours, with Soviet-era concrete buildings in the background. The action takes place in a shipping yard by the harbour, among shipping containers, hence the name.
Incidentally, Modern Warfare 4 is also starting its first season early, with Season One kicking off 6th November, just two weeks after the game’s launch, though it is curious Infinity Ward didn’t wait until the season’s launch to drop the map.
