Ethan (@Mxtive) header
Ethan (@Mxtive) profile picture

Technical Designer at @SHGames working on the @CallofDuty franchise.

United States
Joined January 2013
Photo by Ethan (@Mxtive)Photo by Ethan (@Mxtive)Photo by Ethan (@Mxtive)Photo by Ethan (@Mxtive)Photo by Ethan (@Mxtive)Photo by Ethan (@Mxtive)Photo by Ethan (@Mxtive)Photo by Ethan (@Mxtive)Photo by Ethan (@Mxtive)Photo by Ethan (@Mxtive)
Sledgehammer Games has opened their new studio in San Francisco
96
158
21
4,336
254,412
How about one last #MW3 update, for old time’s sake? Live now 👇 Reclaimer 18 (Shotgun) JAK Devastator (Conversion Kit) - Decreased maximum damage from 80 to 25 - Decreased near-medium damage from 51 to 15 - Decreased minimum damage from 25 to 10 - Decreased rate of fire by 21% - Decreased sprint-to-fire time by 8% - Increased hipfire spread by 12% Rival-9 (Submachine Gun) JAK Headhunter (Conversion Kit) - Decreased headshot damage multiplier from 2x to 1.45x - Decreased medium damage 30 to 28 - Decreased minimum damage from 28 to 24 - Increased burst-fire delay from 66ms to 90ms Armory Unlocks Lastly, new Challenges will become available in the coming days. - DTIR 30-06 (Battle Rifle) - Kastov LSW (Light Machine Gun) - JAK Lance (MX Guardian Conversion Kit) - JAK Voltstorm (Stormender Conversion Kit) - JAK Salvo (KATT-AMR Conversion Kit) Thanks for playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III 💙
947
392
199
4,779
509,302
Being your fan for the last 16 years has been quite the golden opportunity. 😎 Today marks the start of a new tradition—celebrating the developers who, for over two decades, have continued to show up and give their all for Call of Duty and our entertainment. Moving forward, every studio will get a handmade gift and celebration post for their anniversary. To celebrate @SHGames’ 16th anniversary today, I created this life-size replica of the CEL-3 Cauterizer via 3D printing, fitting for how the gun is obtained in Advanced Warfare. Boasting a slightly war-torn look, it commemorates a bold and innovative era in COD history. A time when the games fearlessly broke the mold, took risks, and redefined the franchise’s future. Here’s to the past, present, and future of Sledgehammer. Thank you for all the fun, support, and inspiration you share with us! ❤️🔨
43
60
3
690
89,734
If you all thought Ethan cooked with SHG comms last year, just wait 👏 Ethan- huge congratulations on this next step in your career. We’re all so proud of the work you’ve done so far, and I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.
Three years ago, I joined the Communications team at Sledgehammer Games, and I’m immensely proud of our accomplishments. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I could do more. This studio and franchise are my home, so I’m thrilled to share… I’m now a Technical Designer 🥲 I can’t wait for the day that my decade+ worth of crazy ideas are in your hands—and I’ll gladly take the blame for your best (and worst) moments.
3
1
25
4,513
Friday was my last day at Sledgehammer Games after 15 years. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities and amazing developers I worked with. Here's a thread sharing some of my favorite features I worked on during my time. 🧵
107
124
27
3,025
742,474
We summoned some haunting new music for #MW3 Season 6—now available to stream on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and more 😈 👉 album.link/MW3Season6
96
64
8
617
113,336
Another great season launched by the team @SHGames! Bravo! It’s been a fabulous 11 months of content. A tremendous lift by the team this season being able to deliver all of the MP content we could as well as Purgatory, Zombie Royale, Hellspawn and Vondel Night for WZ! 🫡🫡🫡
57
27
5
416
115,299
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 post launch seasons delivered: • 18 new 6v6 maps • 2 Remastered 6v6 maps • 18 6v6 map variants • 2 Parkour maps • 1 War map • 1 Gunfight map 42 total maps post launch. Incredible post-launch season.
353
284
116
6,266
519,316
You've collected the coins, now enter the kingdom 🪙 G3T_H1GH3R Mosh Pit is available now in #MW3
141
69
26
798
153,183
How high can you get? 😏 Get High returns to #MW3 with a new course full of twists. Unlock 3 new Camos, collect coins, and uncover secrets along the race to the top!
125
66
14
1,036
119,919
Last week, we concluded the #MW3RankedPlay Weapon Evaluation, a collaborative effort from Sledgehammer Games, @Treyarch, and @CODLeague to increase weapon variety in Multiplayer Ranked Play. Today, we’re excited to share the evaluation results and our next steps based on the data and feedback we collected 👇 Throughout the evaluation, we monitored several key performance metrics, such as pick rate, K/D ratio, K/D ratio over distance, and more. These metrics were then compared against the existing Ranked Play weapons pool to assess the impact on the overall competitive experience. Using the evaluation data and your feedback, we made informed weapon balance adjustments you’ll see roll out in upcoming updates, including the Season 3 Reloaded update tomorrow. Pick Rate At the start of the evaluation, players continued to use weapons they were comfortable with. The MCW maintained dominance at a 40% pick rate. In second place was the WSP Swarm, at 17%, and in third place was the Rival-9, at 15%. Once the evaluation was complete, MCW usage nearly halved, and new contenders - the Holger 556 and BP50 - entered the top three of the distribution with a significantly decreased gap. These are encouraging results toward our goal of widening the meta weapon choice, particularly in the Assault Rifle category, in Ranked Play. Kills/Deaths Ratio Another vital statistic is the K/D ratio of each weapon. Diverse weapon usage is a positive indication, but we need balance among the weapons to ensure the experience doesn’t deteriorate to where it was before the new additions to the pool. Weapons that excel at ranged engagements tend to have a higher overall K/D ratio than their specialized, close-range counterparts. Excitingly, the top four performing weapons were new additions despite the hardened skill of existing weaponry. When evaluating whether a weapon is balanced, we often look at its K/D ratio over distance to determine whether it’s within the role carved out for it by our Design team. Typically, Assault Rifles should outperform Submachine Guns at a distance and vice versa, although this isn’t always true in cases such as the BP50, a hybrid weapon by design. What We Learned & Next Steps Looking at the bigger picture, we recognize that SMGs are underperforming compared to ARs. One of the first changes from this observation is reducing hipfire accuracy for ARs in the Season 3 Reloaded update, weakening their close-range viability where we intend for SMGs to excel. During our evaluation of individual weapons, the MCW stood out uniquely, with a significantly increased K/D ratio for high-skill players versus low-skill players. This observation is one of the reasons for the recent headshot damage multiplier reduction. The MCW is highly dependent on the player’s skill. By bringing it down a notch and introducing more options to the meta, we create a smoother experience for players of all skill levels. Ultimately, data only tells one side of the story, with multiple conclusions to draw from it. In many cases, player feedback is the most crucial piece of the puzzle. Given the results shared above and your experience in the evaluation, which weapons would you like to see added to Ranked Play? What adjustments are needed before you consider a weapon for Ranked Play? Thanks for your time. We’ll see you online in #MW3 ❤️
278
130
66
1,666
555,317
Microsoft CEO on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III: "We’ve also been encouraged by the ongoing success of Call of Duty’s Modern Warfare III, which is attracting new gamers and retaining franchise loyalists."
231
105
44
2,788
545,538
We're bringin' the heat 🔥 Stream the #MW3 Remixed Original Soundtrack on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and more! 👉 album.link/MW3Remixed
95
71
6
587
126,517
274
120
55
1,722
592,178
It's been just over 2 months since i was laid off. Putting this out into the world that I am still looking for a position in Community or adjacent. Despite several multi-round interviews, I haven't landed anything yet. Any help would be appreciated! 🙏🙏🙏 Pic for the algo:
4
24
4
71
14,586
Good news! It looks like I may have saved Call of Duty with today's video. I'm not saying I'm a hero but you can call me that if you'd like youtu.be/Kp1RV7DYfVY
22
18
1
511
47,682
yo @Jev, this one's on the house
100
481
45
9,108
430,708
Replying to @SHGames
“those who touch grass”.. alright I did this just for you sledge
6
3
1
170
6,097
Do you have an open position for a community manager or something adjacent? I would LOVE to fill that position! I've got a new portfolio site to show off some of my past work on Call of Duty. aobrienwoodmancy.wixsite.com… Can't help? Engagement/RT for the algo is appreciated!
9
50
6
90
23,841
Substantial changes to ADS idle sway and other weapon attributes in #MW3 and #Warzone have been made to improve the precision and responsiveness of aiming, particularly while using a mouse.
451
248
234
2,782
1,389,931