Modern Warfare 2 devs respond to Santa Sena Border Crossing map backlash

Santa Sena Border Crossing has been one of Modern Warfare 2’s most divisive maps ever since launch, and an Infinity Ward developer has addressed the criticism from the community.

Modern Warfare 2 launched with a varied selection of 10 6v6 multiplayer maps, which saw players do battle in locations that ranged from a Mexican town to a high-speed racetrack. As is the case every year, however, not every map was welcomed by the community.

Arguably the most controversial map of them all is Santa Sena Border Crossing, as fans were frustrated by its relatively simple design and exploding vehicles. While CoD maps always come down to personal taste, Border Crossing consistently ranks as Modern Warfare 2’s worst map.

Now, Infinity Ward have addressed the backlash and given some insight into how the divisive map came to be.

In an interview with Dexerto, Multiplayer Design Director, Geoff Smith, explained that: “Map-wise, we try to have a balance between experiential maps and the more competitive maps.” He also mentioned that while some maps are designed with “super sweaty” gameplay in mind, others are made to be interesting for casual players.

“There’s ones where [we think] ‘hey, it’d be really cool to fight over a border crossing’,” he continued. “And I know that map’s not super popular in certain groups, but we like to keep it fun and it’s really neat to move through those cars, channeling Sicario. So we try to keep it fun and switch it up, but there’s a balance.”

Although the response to Santa Sena Border Crossing, Smith mentioned that it’s important to try new types of maps, and the size of the CoD community naturally means that not everyone will be on board.

“You know, our user base is so huge,” Smith added. “We try to balance as much as we can. I think it’s important to have these fun, experiential maps, and we obviously have enough for the CDL to have their play space.”

When asked about Border Corssing specifically, Smith went on to say the devs are not “trying to ruin people’s fun on every single map, I think we even looked into keeping those cars from blowing up every round in S&D because that gets really old.”

He finished by emphasizing that a range of different maps is vital in a Call of Duty title, as their game attracts players who prefer different styles.

“We kind of just make adjustments as we go, but I think it’s important to have a wide variety of experiences,” Smith concluded. “Not everybody’s into super sweaty matches, so we kind of balance it for everyone. We do our best.”

For more on Modern Warfare 2, check out what the devs had to say about the final three multiplayer maps, as well as the success of Shipment.