The details of Modern Warfare 3 have  been unofficially leaked, according to an article in Kotaku. Activision hasn’t even  released the name  of the upcoming successor in the Call of Duty franchise. The  name, Modern Warfare 3, was part of the leak.  In recent years, the Cod franchise has been the most important franchise in gaming history. Last year’s iteration, Call of Duty: Black Ops  grossed over 1 billion dollars in revenue.

The source of the leak is questionable and Activision is not excluded from the lists of culprits. In the era of the 24 hour news cycle, PR could be the life or death of a game. THQ’s Homefront moved over 1 million units its first week following a successful ad campaign. A great way to generate some  buzz is to unofficially release details of the most anticipated title for 2011. Many of the game’s locales and multiplayer maps have been exposed in a way reminiscent of an official release. Some of the details that were leaked include(don’t worry, I won’t spoil): The single player campaign being rumored to continue after the Russian invasion of America in Modern Warfare II andSpec Ops  receiving new modes. Players can also expect more perks and modes in the multiplayer dept. With the depth of details that were leaked, is this Activision’s way of releasing details and not having to field questions concerning the game? Since the leak was  “unofficial,” this protects IW from any responsibility.  Infinity Ward’s Creative Strategist Robert Bowling clears some of the confusion up on his twitter account.

“A lot of hype & a lot of leaked info on #MW3, some still accurate, some not. To avoid spoiling the experience, I’d wait for the real reveal.”

Or maybe not. But he does concede that some of the details are true.

November is now the month for confetti and party hats, because it is unofficially Call of Duty’s birthday and fans  will line up in droves to buy Modern Warfare 3. With Battlefield 3 stealing the spotlight, this leak seems like an unofficial attempt to turn the spotlight towards Soap MacTavish. EA, like Manny Pacquiao, is challenging MW3 to the ring, but the once great champion, Activision,  has been relegated to unofficially releasing details on how great its next fight is going to be.