It was recently revealed by an Infinity Ward developer that one of the most iconic maps in Call of Duty history – Shipment – was never supposed to exist. It was stated that it was included in 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare by mistake, but once it was realised how popular the small-form map really was, it was ultimately left in, and by today, it’s considered a staple in the franchise.
Shipment has been redesigned and re-released several times, making an appearance in no fewer than eleven Call of Duty titles, often with a unique spin applied to the map to differentiate it from the others. If things had gone as planned, Shipment would never have seen the light of day.
Where Would We Have Done Weapon Challenges?
In the interview between Dexerto and Multiplayer Design Director at Infinity Ward, Geoff Smith, it was revealed that Shipment’s existence in COD 4 was merely an accident.
It was revealed by Smith that Shipment was a couch multiplayer map at best – a split-screen thing that was originally used for internal testing purposes. It was explained that this map erroneously found its way into the live playlist when COD 4 was pushed to production, and it simply stayed there – it wasn’t removed. In truth, it didn’t really need to be removed – there was nothing wrong with it.
Smith’s words on the matter were simple:
Our MP lead at the time, when we went live, forgot to pull it out and there was no going back. That was truly an accident.
There was a tongue-in-cheek reference I saw online while exploring the airwaves, and it was aimed at this very scenario. It was a jab at Infinity Ward and how a mistake in 2007 produces one of the best maps in Call of Duty history, while deliberate actions in 2023 essentially ruin the entire game (we’re talking about Modern Warfare II).
Are you a fan of Shipment, or should it have stayed in the shadows?
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of the recent lay-offs at CD Projekt.
