Even though seeing the capitol in flames may not sit well with some, the decision to have a portion of Modern Warfare 2 take place on US soil was not a difficult one for Infinity Ward to make, members of the development team explain. “We wanted it. We wanted it bad,” Lead Character Artist Joel Emslie said on the latest Bonus Round as Lead Designer Mackey McCandlish nodded and jokingly added, “Especially for our European players.”

Emslie continued, “One of the most eerie things that we had come online early was this environment where it just looks like a mini mall … and it hit home. It had a lot of feeling behind it and visual impact and all that stuff you’re looking for. We knew what we wanted, we just didn’t want to make the whole game about that.”

“And I think that’s what the biggest design decision was for the story,” added Creative Strategist Robert Bowling. “Like, ‘how much of an American game do you want to be?’ And I think that’s what changed the most throughout development.”

Just how far Infinity Ward went can be discovered in less than 24 hours now as the game will officially launch at midnight tonight.