Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 designer Mohammad Alavi in a new video IGN told about the creation of a scandalous mission “Not a word in Russian” from a shooter.
This was the fourth mission in the story campaign, where the player (as an undercover CIA agent) took part in a terrorist attack at a Russian airport, where civilians were killed. If desired, the level could be completed without killing. In Russia, the game was officially released only in the PC version, where the corresponding mission was blocked.
The idea for this sketch came from one of the leading designers, Steve Fukuda, who at the start described the general idea, including the famous opening phrase: “Remember: not a word in Russian.” Initially, the mission took place in a shopping mall, and the characters appeared on stage with an armored car.
Alavi admitted that he was interested in the idea of such a dramatic turn in the narrative that people would remember for a long time. At the same time, the author added that he did not want to create something scandalous, but was only going to come up with a moment that would be memorable “for years.”
Alavi also sought to show the monstrous nature of the villain Vladimir Makarov, demonstrating to the player in the first person his bloodiest deed.
Designer Julian Luo tackled the geography of the level, which eventually evolved from a shopping center to an airport. And they decided to replace the armored car with an elevator.
In the early version of the mission there were moments in the style of classic Call of Duty, where players exchanged fire with the police and the like – besides, the very section with the shooting scenes was several times shorter.
However, game director Jason West advised the team to change their approach, maintaining the dark starting tone throughout the mission – which made the moment more shocking. Therefore, the task, by the way, also does not have the usual instructions for the series and the opportunity to run.
During testing, 50% of players refused to shoot at this level, and some fired clips into the walls and ceiling. Among the testers there was even a military veteran who simply did not pass this level.
A negative assessment of the mission was also heard within the walls of the Infinity Ward, with some employees calling the level offensive. This reaction led to a warning before the mission and the possibility of skipping it.
Alani wanted this challenge to make players think about their actions for at least a second and encourage someone to give up shooting in the level. The designer admitted that if the moral of the task caused conflicting feelings in the user even for a second, then he achieved his goal.
