Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 may let players start the campaign ahead of the full game's release. As spotted by CharlieIntel, those who pre-ordered Modern Warfare 4 on Xbox were able to pre-load some placeholder files for the game, including a file called "Campaign Early Access Pack 1." Additionally, YouTuber TDawgSmitty noted that someone asked Infinity Ward if there would be early access during a presentation for creators. Infinity Ward reportedly stated that it couldn't speak about this, but the YouTuber felt like the audience got a "wink wink, hint hint" that suggested it might happen. Of course, this is far from concrete confirmation, but it does seem more significant following the Xbox leak.

This wouldn't be the first time Call of Duty has done this, but it would be the first time in several years. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III both had campaign early access a week ahead of launch, but this ended after the latter. It's possible that the negative reception to Modern Warfare III's campaign dissuaded Activision from pursuing it with Black Ops 6 and 7. Although MWIII's multiplayer was received well by the community, having exclusively negative impressions of the campaign out there for a week likely didn't help Call of Duty's launch efforts.

However, there seems to be a great deal of confidence behind Modern Warfare 4. The campaign is taking some big swings by centering its story around a conflict between North and South Korea, while also setting Captain Price on a darker path that puts him at odds with former allies like Ghost. Perhaps this leak is a good sign for Modern Warfare 4's single-player offerings, and Infinity Ward will lean on it to generate some buzz in the days leading up to the full game's release.

These early access launches also incentivize Call of Duty players to actually play the campaign. The majority of players don't engage with the single-player and instead focus their time on multiplayer, Zombies, or Warzone, but if it's the only thing available, it forces a bunch of hungry Call of Duty fans to divert their attention to the story.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will release on October 23 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.