Modern Warfare 3 has blue UI instead of red - and there's a good reason why

Oct. 3, 2023

Through the looking glass

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s UI is themed around blue instead of red for a very good reason.

Yesterday, October 2, Sledgehammer unveiled a new look at Modern Warfare 3’s Gunsmith customization options for its weapons in the video below. One overlooked detail in the video is the fact that certain UI elements in the new game, like the player’s cursor hovering over menu options, are highlighted in blue, instead of the typical red.

Now, one Call of Duty lead has explained why this is. In the tweets below, design and UI director Ben Furneaux reveals the UI elements are blue to make it look as though you’re seeing the entire thing through blue-tinted glass. Sure, that’s a detail we never would’ve realized unless we were directly told about it.

Red is also a tricky color to design around, Furneaux elaborates, because “everything is screaming stop.” Shading the entire UI system in a green color to corresponding with ‘go’ probably wasn’t the solution Sledgehammer’s UI team was looking for with this challenge.

But still, red is the “right tonal identity” for Modern Warfare 3, Furneaux continues. We can’t argue with this, considering it’s a game about gunning people down with a certain bloodlust. So red is sill present in Modern Warfare 3, but it’s blue that sneaks its way in the UI system for a very good reason.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is out later this year on November 10, andit’s bringing back the series' most infamous villainfor another round.

Check out ourModern Warfare 3 open betaguide for a look at when you can play the multiplayer portion of the game ahead of launch.

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