The latest installment of the Call of Duty franchise, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III," has raised concerns due to its massive file size and a cumbersome download manager.

On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, the game occupies over 200GB of storage, with the new Call of Duty HQ download manager alone taking up around 50GB, Kotaku reported.

This is not a new issue for Call of Duty games, as their digital footprints have been growing in recent years. In 2020, "Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War" consumed a staggering 255GB on the PS5 after all content packs were installed.

Activision Blizzard Inc (NASDAQ:ATVI) attempted to explain the file-size increase, attributing it to the inclusion of various content like open-world Zombies, support for item carry forward from "Modern Warfare II," and map files for "Call of Duty: Warzone."

While this justifies the size to some extent, it doesn't explain why players cannot download the single-player campaign separately without dealing with a convoluted 50GB launcher.

The launcher, already used by "Modern Warfare II" players, has been criticized for its complexity, making it difficult for casual players to install the campaign or navigate the available content.

Moreover, with future content updates, including remastered "Modern Warfare II" maps, the game's size is likely to increase further.

Image: Activision Blizzard via Steam.

Why The Latest Call Of Duty Game File Size Is Raising Eyebrows