Infinity Ward Addresses Use Of Controversial Weapon, White Phosphorus, In New 'Call Of Duty'

Infinity Ward has addressed the use of the controversial weapon, white phosphorus, in “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.”

While talking about the multiplayer reveal on Thursday, multiplayer design director Geoff Smith talked about the killstreak perks and what was available to use in matches with VG247. He took time during the interview to address the use of white phosphorus as a killstreak bonus.

“Our game is more about two sides, that there is no good guy or bad guy, you play on either one. We’re just creating this playground to play on,” Smith said. “I always felt like in the previous games that multiplayer is like the distant weapon fire that you hear a few blocks away from where the single player is.”

For anyone unfamiliar, white phosphorus is a controversial weapon used by the U.S. military and others as a smokescreen that makes it harder for enemy combatants to fight. However, the phosphorus also ignites when exposed to oxygen and can burn at high enough temperatures to melt through muscle and bone. It can even linger and reignite days after use, posing a risk to any nearby civilian populations.

As a result, human rights groups have called for countries to stop using the dangerous weapon.

And as it relates to “Modern Warfare,” developers have previously spoken about striving for a darker and more realistic depiction of war in the newest “Call of Duty.” Narrative Director Taylor Kurosaki talked to IGN about the possibility of cities becoming warzones “in the blink of an eye” and how that puts civilians at great risk.

But Smith assures that Infinity Ward is not trying to make a statement about the use of the weapon as multiplayer is viewed as a separate sandbox to single-player.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” will be available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC Oct. 25.