While CoD: Modern Warfare 2 file size is still substantially smaller than previous entries, but the data present on the physical disc will be downright tiny.
As reported by Twitter DoesItPlay1 (via MobileSyrup), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will only include about 70MB of data on its physical disc. Considering the game's actual size comes to around 150GB following a massive pre-release update, this means that significantly less than 1% of the actual game is present on the disc. This practice of utilizing "dummy discs" has become increasingly criticized in recent years, considering that most players who purchase physical discs do so because they don't want to an entire game. Forcing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 players to almost the whole game even when suing the disc completely defeats the purpose of the physical release.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's Disc Is Practically Pointless
Like the controversial Modern Warfare 2 phone number requirement, the use of an almost empty dummy disc is a covert digital rights management system that unfairly penalizes certain players. Many fans who purchase the disc-based version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will do so because they're reluctant to the digital version, either to save storage space or because they have a weak internet connection. Unfortunately, forcing a 35GB even with the disc version of the title completely negates both of these advantages.
As discs become less useful in the age of digital gaming, it seems likely that companies will eventually stop creating both disc-based games and consoles with disc drives altogether. The version of the PS5 console with a disc drive is more expensive than the digital-only version, for example, as is the case with the Xbox Series X and its cheaper Series S counterpart without a disc drive. As the industry turns away from discs, it seems likely that more games will have dummy discs with only a few megabytes of data on them.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be smaller than previous CoD releases, but the game's physical disc is still way smaller than it should be. A partial is expected for any modern game, but including less than 1% of a game on its disc is a disservice to fans who prefer physical media. When only 70MB of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is on the disc, it just makes more sense to buy the game digitally.
Sources: DoesItPlay1/Twitter, MobileSyrup
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