> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://devdocs.xbox.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II & Warzone case study

> Infinity Ward's console + PC Eco Mode — three tiers, up to ~50% menu power savings, and 90% console adoption on the default setting.

**Studio:** Infinity Ward<br />**Shipped:** Season 5 update, 2023<br />**Contributors:** Rulon Raymond, Rohit Ravishankar, Mehek Jethani

Call of Duty: Warzone is demanding by design — 150-plus-player lobbies, cutting-edge graphics, and heavy power draw on the highest-end hardware. Infinity Ward used the XBOX Sustainability Toolkit to introduce an optional **Eco Mode** balancing responsiveness and fidelity against energy efficiency.

## Eco Mode overview

The setting offers three options, with **Minimal** as the default:

| Option                | Behavior                                                               | Avg. saving |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- |
| **Off**               | Previous behavior, no power savings                                    | —           |
| **Minimal (default)** | 3D scene at 66% resolution in in-game menus; framerate capped at 60 Hz | \~20%       |
| **Full**              | 3D scene at 50% resolution in menus; framerate capped at 30 Hz         | \~50%       |

Eco Mode applies only within front-end Multiplayer lobbies in Modern Warfare II and to all lobbies (including DMZ) in Warzone.

### In-game changes

While the pause menu is opened during gameplay, the same settings apply:

* **Minimal** — scene resolution to 66%, matching lobby behavior.
* **Full** — scene rendering freezes when the multiplayer pause menu is open in active gameplay. Systems like hit damage and audio continue.

## Measured impact (Team Deathmatch private lobby, idle)

| Setting     | Avg. GPU busy | Avg. Power Load | Approx. wattage |
| ----------- | ------------- | --------------- | --------------- |
| **Off**     | 82%           | 74%             | 205 W           |
| **Minimal** | 64%           | 62%             | 185 W           |
| **Full**    | 29%           | 37%             | 135 W           |

Graphical fidelity remained visually consistent across settings — art and design reviewed each tier before commit.

## Player adoption (approx. two months after ship)

| Setting               | Console | PC    |
| --------------------- | ------- | ----- |
| **Minimal (default)** | 90.3%   | 77.3% |
| **Full**              | 2.1%    | 1.9%  |
| **Off**               | 7.6%    | 20.8% |

On console, **90% of players stayed on the default**. Of the \~10% who opted out, roughly a quarter opted into Full for even more savings. PC players opted out more often, but the majority still remained in the default power-saving mode.

## Platform-wide result

Global average power consumption for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II decreased by **\~3%** immediately after Eco Mode shipped, with no adverse effect on in-game performance.

## Tools used

* **PIX Power Monitor** — real-time measurement.
* **`PIXGetPowerMetrics`** — sampled power values in code to drive the graphs above.

See [Sustainability PIX guide](/build/game-principles/sustainability/sustainability-pix-guide) to reproduce.

## Takeaways for other studios

* **Ship power-saving as the default.** Adoption follows the default — 90% on console stayed on Minimal.
* **Multiple tiers let players choose.** Give power users a Full option and cautious players an Off option.
* **Menus and lobbies are the easiest wins.** Players spend meaningful time there and don't notice resolution/framerate drops.

## Related case studies

* [Halo Infinite](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-halo)
* [The Elder Scrolls Online](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-elder-scrolls-online)
* [Fortnite & Unreal Engine](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-fortnite)
* [Energy Efficiency Essentials](/build/game-principles/sustainability/energy-efficiency-essentials)


## Related topics

- [Sustainability case studies overview](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-overview.md)
- [Minecraft case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-minecraft.md)
- [For Honor case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-for-honor.md)
- [Halo Infinite case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-halo.md)
- [Gears of War: Reloaded case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-gears-of-war-reloaded.md)