Capture the Flag could return in Modern Warfare 3, Sledgehammer Games hints

Capture the Flag, one of the most beloved game types in Call of Duty multiplayer history, may make a comeback. The latest installation of the franchise, Modern Warfare 3, doesn’t have a CTF game mode. However, a recent Reddit thread that seemed innocent enough among community members, revealed more information than anyone expected. And it all happened because a single emoji from the official account.

Sledgehammer Games hints at Capture the Flag return

A recent thread on the Modern Warfare 3 game subreddit asked the community a simple question, “If you guys could bring back anything from past call of duty’s to MWIII what would it be?” The post, as one might expect, received plenty of varying feedback. However, one common recommendation that started with the OP was to bring back the Capture the Flag game mode. Most users in the thread agreed with the sentiment, while also recommending Demolition, Sabotage, and Prop Hunt, among others.

The most important comment of the bunch, though, was from the official Sledgehammer Games Reddit account, which simply responded, ‘👀’. While the eyeballs emoji certainly isn’t an official announcement, it’s pretty easy to figure out what it means. Seeing as the comment wasn’t in response to anyone in particular in the thread, it’s safe to assume it was directed toward the OP. As a result, it looks like Capture the Flag could soon make its way back into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

When did Capture the Flag leave Call of Duty?

The most recent iteration of Call of Duty to have a Capture the Flag game mode was Modern Warfare 2. However, it wasn’t added until Season Five, and was only playable as Big Capture the Flag. In other words, there was no standard multiplayer version of CTF, and it didn’t come out until deep into the game’s lifecycle.

Before that, Black Ops Cold War had CTF as of July 2021. It was part of the Season Four update, but was removed just a week after its release. The last game with a true CTF game mode in standard multiplayer through most of its lifecycle was WWII, which released in November of 2017.