It is no joke that Call of Duty 4 is one of the most anticipated games this holiday season. Even more enticing is the multiplayer Beta, which will allow a lucky group of gamers to jump into the boots of modern combatants and try out Activision’s reinvention of the Call of Duty franchise. When this Beta is going to hit no one is sure, but clues point to it being very soon.
IGN reported that yesterday the Xbox Marketplace ticker on Xbox.com, which shows the most up-to-date content available for download, listed the Call of Duty 4 Beta as being live on the 17th. Now obviously, no one is playing the Beta, and the Beta information was quickly withdrawn from the website as if the listing were a mistake.
IGN contacted Activision who gave the typical response, "No official availability date for the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Multiplayer Beta has been announced, but stay tuned to Charlieoscardelta.com for upcoming details."
My take? The Beta is ongoing as we speak but as a closed Beta at the moment. When Activision decides to let the droves of eager fans take a crack at the Beta is anyone’s guess, but we know the game is coming together nicely if Microsoft is able to make an error in listing it online. Let’s hope Activision plays it smart and releases the Beta before Halo 3’s street date because we all know where the FPS fanatics will be September 25th.
