Modern Warfare 3 is currently the most popular game on Twitch. The most surprising thing is that nobody knows why the first-person shooter game has suddenly gained such immense popularity. The game has attracted more than 400,000 concurrent viewers and the number is expected to keep growing.
On March 13, Modern Warfare 3 was only behind the Just Chatting category on Twitch.
Modern Warfare 3 followed Modern Warfare 2, which remains one of the greatest COD franchises ever.
Modern Warfare 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the eighth installment in the COD series, was first released over a decade back in 2011 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the Wii. A separate version was later developed for the Nintendo DS by n-Space.
Published by Activision, it was developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games.
Although the game received praise for its gameplay and campaign, many consider it a letdown in terms of plotline after the success of Modern Warfare 2. Commercially, the game sold over 6.5 million copies and grossed over $400 million within 24 hours of its release. The game’s campaign is set in continuation of Modern Warfare 2’s storyline. Task Force 141, which includes Captain Price, Soap MacTavish, and Yuri, team up with Delta Force and Special Air Service to nab a well-known Russian terrorist, Vladimir Makarov . He is responsible for multiple attacks throughout Europe and for causing instability in the region.
The gamer can assume the role of different characters during the single-player campaign as they set out to complete three missions called “Acts” in COD’s Modern Warfare 3. The game also features a Survival mode, where one or two players can battle massive waves of enemies. Each wave increases in difficulty and is available on multiplayer maps. Players can increase their Poinstreaks with kills, and also by performing various tasks, like capturing the flag or planting a bomb.
The Call of Duty series holds a Guinness World Record for being the best-selling first-person shooter franchise, as it has sold over 300 million copies. Call of Duty: Warzone has a success rate of over 60 million downloads and counting. Meanwhile, Call of Duty: Mobile has made Activision richer by over $1 million, which testifies to its commercial and critical success.
In recent times, the franchise has been in the news for delaying its yearly release. Over the years, gamers have repeatedly mentioned that yearly Call of Duty releases are unnecessary and that they have deteriorated the quality of the much-loved franchise. It seems the game-maker has finally decided to listen to its fans, and delayed this year’s release to 2023.
There has been a lot of speculation on the franchise’s future after Microsoft’s $68.7 billion-dollar acquisition of Activision early this year.
Modern Warfare Spikes in Popularity
The current rise in its popularity can be attributed to the tournament hosted by some Spanish-speaking streamers. They have organized a competition amongst themselves and named it Torneo Modern Warfare 3 Old School, which literally translates to Modern Warfare 3 Old School Tournament.
The streamers hosting the tournament have millions of followers individually. Some of them are Rubius with 11.4 M, ibai with 9.6M, TheGrefG with 9.6M, elxokas with 2.9M, and IlloJuan and bysTaXx with 1.7M each.
Social media was abuzz with the game’s revival on Twitch and most gamers took to Twitter to congratulate the game on achieving this milestone.
As the tournament attracts more and more streamers, the game’s popularity on the platform has scaled new heights. Considering how well a collective effort by a small group of streamers managed to resurrect a decade-old game, it is entirely possible that other streamers might take a leaf out of their book and organize such tournaments for other games in the future.
