As a result, several Hollywood films about F1 are said to be in development, while the series now has a wider mainstream platform. This popularity has carried over to F1’s Esports platforms, with more players participating in the annual F1 editions from Codemasters and EA. In F1’s latest move into the mainstream, Call of Duty developers Infinity Ward revealed on Sunday night that Singapore’s Marina Bay Circuit will be a six-vs-six player playable map in the next Modern Warfare 2 game. While the full game launches on October 28th on Playstation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC, the first Beta test for the game starts on Playstation for early access pre-orders on September 16-17th – where players can get their first taste the map. Before the game launches, all players on all platforms can test the map in the final open beta on September 24-26. In a teaser video released by Infinity Ward, it looks like the map will cover parts of the Marina Bay pitlane and paddock complex – although there’s no actual F1 branding in the clip, suggesting no collaboration with the series. A brief statement from Infinity Ward on the new F1-inspired map read: “Modern Warfare II Beta is set to deliver a powerful multiplayer experience that goes beyond the Core 6v6 experience with a variety of meticulously designed maps of various sizes and an equally impressive set of Modes, Progression experiences and other aspects that will be revealed in more detail in Call of Duty: Next. “Additionally, we’ve revealed a flight to the Marina Bay Grand Prix, where the battle takes place within the main field of an urban racing circuit, one of the 6v6 Multiplayer maps confirmed for the Beta.” This isn’t the first time motorsports and Call of Duty have collided. Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton appeared as a non-playable character in 2016’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, while at the 2013 and 2014 Valencia Grand Prix, three-time MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo raced specifically helmet designs for Call of Duty: Ghosts and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. This year’s Singapore Grand Prix will take place on October 2 and will mark F1’s first visit to the country since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago.
