GAME · 2009 · USA
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Developer
- Infinity Ward, Aspyr
- Publisher
- Square Enix
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, macOS
33 archived facts 5 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
33 Interesting Facts About Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Interesting Facts (6)
- #001
The most profitable video game of all time at its release. It earned more than $500 million in its first 5 days.
- #002
In the mission called 'The Gulag' where you infiltrate a prison to rescue 'Prisoner 627', you enter a shower room. Eagle eyed players will have noticed that this shower room is identical to one in 1996 film, 'The Rock'. This is one of many references this game makes to 'The Rock'.
- #003
In the mission Team Player as the player's Humvee is driving through the town, posters hanging on various walls show a mushroom cloud. The photo is actually of a 1952 U.S. nuclear test, Ivy Mike, the first full scale, true hydrogen bomb.
- #004
The developers brought back Craig Fairbrass, who voiced Gaz in the previous game, for the character Ghost. Unlike Gaz, who died in the first game, Ghost preserves his mystery by wearing a ski mask throughout the game, but in the end he dies too.
- #005
The game used a new feature called 'Texture Streaming' to create more open environments without compromising performance. It is not known which version of the id Tech engine the engine is based on.
- #006
Contains a major spoiler — show
At the beginning of the mission The Hornets Nest, a beaten and unconscious Alejandro Rojas can be seen tied to a wall, as he was interrogated in the time gap between Takedown and The Hornets Nest. He can be killed.
Production Story (7)
- #007
A new feature in the game called "Texture Streaming" was used to render more open environments without sacrificing performance. It is unknown which id Tech the engine is based on.
- #008
The fan-favorite multiplayer map Favela was temporarily taken down on October 6th, 2012 after picture frames with Islamic writing on them saying "Allah is beautiful and he loves beauty" were discovered in a bathroom, a place where speaking of such things is forbidden in the Muslim religion. It was later re-added on October 23rd, 2012 on PlayStation 3 and December 10th, 2012 for Xbox 360 with plain black frames, but it has yet to be re-added on PC.
- #009
It contains Hans Zimmer's first ever video game score.
- #010
The controversial "No Russian" mission was the sole reason for the game's 18 certificate in Britain, due to its "disturbing nature" and "brutal" focus on inflicting pain/injury. The 2011 sequel, 'Modern Warfare 3', was rated 18 for similar reasons, due to an interrogation victim being burned alive and the realistic context of a chase scene set in the London Underground, which had been compared by media outlets to the '7/7' terrorist bombings of 2005.
- #011
Contains a major spoiler — show
Placed on a list of the most controversial games of all time due to the "No Russian" level in which the player is required to shoot and kill several innocents at an airport. The level is optional but leaves major holes in the storyline if not played.
- #012
Contains a major spoiler — show
The game contains a controversial mission known as "No Russian", which the player is given the option to play at the beginning of the game. Within this mission, the player takes the role of a CIA operative who joins a Russian terrorist group and must take part in killing innocent civilians in an airport. Subsequently, the Russian release of the game omitted this stage due to concerns. In the German and Japanese versions, players fail the mission if they kill civilians.
- #013
Contains a major spoiler — show
The creators recalled Craig Fairbrass to voice the character Ghost in the game. He voiced Gaz in the previous Modern Warfare game, although his character dies. To make it more interesting, Ghost wears a ski mask during the whole game, but eventually dies too.
Easter Eggs & References (16)
- #014
Frank Woods from Black Ops 1 appears as a background soldier in one of the first missions.
- #015
In the mission called "The Gulag", where you infiltrate a prison to rescue "Prisoner 627", you enter a shower room. Eagle-eyed players will have noticed that this shower room is identical to one in the 1996 film The Rock. This is one of many references this game makes to The Rock.
- #016
In the Wasteland multiplayer map, there is a poster with a lady and a small girl, both smiling, in one of the houses on the eastern edge of the map. The Russian writing on the poster says in English, "Driver, they are waiting for you at home".
- #017
The level name S.S.D.D may be a reference to Stephen King's novel 'Dreamcatcher'. S.S.D.D ("Same Shit, Different Day") is a phrase used throughout the book by the main characters. Also, Shepherd's first line in the cutscene, "The more things change, the more they stay the same" might also be a small reference to King's 'Thinner', where the line is spoken.
- #018
One of the levels in the game is titled "Cliffhanger," which is also the same name of a 1993 action blockbuster that was also set on a snow mountain. Craig Fairbrass, who voiced Ghost in the game, had previously played a henchman named Delmar in the said film. Ironically, the aforementioned level is the only level not to feature Fairbrass's character Ghost despite Fairbrass appearing in the 1993 namesake film.
- #019
At the beginning of the mission "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday", an American submarine named the USS Dallas can be seen. This may be a reference to a submarine of the same name in the film "The Hunt For Red October" (1990).
- #020
In the mission Team Player, as the player's Humvee is driving through the town, posters hanging on various walls show a mushroom cloud. The photo is actually of a 1952 U.S. nuclear test, Ivy Mike, the first full-scale, true hydrogen bomb.
- #021
Multiple references to the film "The Rock", including the shower room, the deployment of green flares to waive off fighters hitting a key structure at the last moment, and a military leader betraying his country for a military cause.
- #022
In the Wasteland multiplayer map there is a poster with a lady and a small girl, both smiling, in one of the houses on the eastern edge of the map. The Russian writing on the poster says in English "Driver, they are waiting for you at home".
- #023
At the beginning of the mission "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday", an American submarine named the USS Dallas can be seen. This may be a reference to a submarine of the same name in the film "The Hunt For Red October" (1990).
- #024
The level name S.S.D.D may be a reference to Stephen King's novel, 'Dreamcatcher'. S.S.D.D ("Same Shit, Different Day") is a phrase used through out the book by the main characters. Also, Shepherd's first line in the cut scene, "The more things change, the more they stay the same" might also be a small reference to King's 'Thinner', where the line is spoken.
- #025
One of the levels in the game is titled "Cliffhanger," which also the same name of 1993 action blockbuster that was also set on a snow mountain. Craig Fairbrass, who voiced Ghost in the game, had previously played a henchman named Delmar in the said film. Ironically, the aforementioned level is the only level not to feature Fairbrass's character Ghost despite Fairbrass appearing in the 1993 namesake film.
- #026
The last member of Task Force 141 confirmed dead is Rook, the driver who got Soap and Price out of the boneyard. Because of the circumstances of his death, he is the only member of 141 whose body was recovered from the battle. The 'Queen takes rook' achievement, awarded for completing this and the previous level on the highest difficulty, is a nod to Rook's death.
- #027
Contains a major spoiler — show
At the beginning of the mission The Hornets Nest, a beaten and unconscious Alejandro Rojas can be seen tied to a wall, as he was interrogated in the time gap between Takedown and The Hornets Nest. He can be killed.
- #028
Contains a major spoiler — show
The members of Task Force 141's Sniper Team One, Archer and Toad, may have eluded capture or death at the end of "Loose Ends". After Roach is shot by Shepherd, a radio transmission from Shadow Company can be heard advising soldiers to be on the lookout for snipers in the area.
- #029
Contains a major spoiler — show
The last member of Task Force 141 to be confirmed killed is Rook, the driver who gets Soap and Price out of the bone yard. Due to the circumstances of his death, he is the only deceased member of 141 shown having his body extracted from combat. After completing this level and the previous one on Veteran, the highest difficulty, the achievement/trophy is called "Queen takes rook", a reference to Rook's death.
Deeper Meaning (3)
- #030
The game takes place in 2016.
- #031
If the first Modern Warfare game is set in 2011, then the second game is set in 2016, as Shepherd says in the opening that five years have passed since the end of Call of Duty 4.
- #032
In the highly controversial 'No Russian' scene, the player's participation in the massacre is entirely voluntary; you can simply keep pace with the group without firing a single bullet at civilians. This leaves the player with a space for moral choice.
Career & Awards (1)
- #033
Its release set the record for the biggest entertainment launch in history, making $310 million in the United States and the United Kingdom during its first 24 hours on sale, surpassing the previous record holder Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), as well as other forms of media such as music and film.