We’re reaching borderline obscene levels with the newest iteration of Infinity Ward‘s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare; it’s already one of (if not the) largest titles regarding file size possible; now the updates themselves are reaching similar levels of daunting size.
The newest patch on the Xbox One has players downloading a 66.3 GB file for the update, while PC players download 1.8 GB and PlayStation 4 owners need to download 1.2 GB.
The patch brings about a few bug fixes and removes some maps from the active rotation from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Fans that only have downloaded the Warzone game type shouldn’t necessarily be concerned, as it sits around 100 GB in total if you also don’t have Call of Duty: Modern Warfare installed.
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The reasoning for the monumental update size on Xbox One, Infinity Ward states, is due to a bug that developers have encountered with patch delivery on the console that means that users need to redownload files they already own.
They report that they are currently working in tandem with Microsoft to ensure that Xbox One owners won’t need to spend a hefty amount of their gaming time to download staggering patch sizes.
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Considering that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has already reached a staggering file size that has led to many pointing that something isn’t functioning properly within the development process; the file is larger than many MMOs and RPGs, and the amount of time it takes to simply get your files downloaded and verified is increasing on a near-weekly basis.
When we reached out to Infinity Ward regarding their patch, that they stated would reduce file size, resulting in even larger file size on the PC, they declined to respond. Considering that Infinity Ward pushes out patches on a weekly basis every Tuesday, this snowballing of updates and file sizes is likely to get worse before it gets better.
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Xbox One patch bugs notwithstanding, the over-all idea that they’re somehow going to mitigate the download and file size is beginning to feel suspect; more so considering that we’re only in Season 5 of content for the title, and it’s iterative development, meaning that they’ll likely continue to add onto rather than subtract from the overall size.
Still, it gets a bit of leeway from many; Call of Duty: Warzone alone helped reimagine a far more complete battle-royale mechanic that has helped revitalize the genre after stale rehashes of the same mechanics plagued the genre for months, if not years.
Having a game that’s worth playing in the first place is the bar that developers should be most concerned with; it’s just frustrating for many that the Infinity Ward is continuing to struggle with patching and content updates.