One of Call of Duty’s most iconic maps, Shipment, debuted in 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and has returned a number of times over the years in different forms. The fan-favorite, tight-quarters multiplayer map is one of the most recognizable and popular, but its enduring success was anything a sure thing.
Multiplayer design director Geoff Smith from Infinity Ward told Dexerto that Shipment was originally conceived as a “split-screen map, back when that was a thing.” The basic layout and relatively simple, straightforward design were purposefully designed with split-screen in mind. Developers at Infinity Ward used the map for internal tests and it was eventually included in the “playlist script” for Modern Warfare’s release–and the developers forgot to remove it.
“Our multiplayer lead at the time, when we went live, forgot to [pull] it out and there was no going back. That was truly an accident,” Smith said.