The Call of Duty series has always taken us around the timeline in-between each game, starting from World War II, to the Vietnam war, to modern warfare and even to the future. Like a roller coaster ride of historical sight seeing, one of the appeals of the series is its exciting presentation that puts you into a conflict that takes place in various locations around the world. We’ve been through the trenches, we’ve been under the sea, we’ve been to space and we’ve even fought off aliens. Question is, where do we go from here?
Last week, Sledgehammer Games’ co-founder Glen Schofield commented that this year’s Call of Duty would be the most ambitious and creative title yet for the series, a statement which you can receive however you want to. While this praise was generous, it didn’t mention what the setting of the new game would be and also didn’t mention if it was a sequel to any of the Call of Duty series’ existing titles. Some predict it may be Modern Warfare 4, since Sledgehammer Games co-developed Modern Warfare 3 back in 2011, however the sub-series did conclude during Modern Warfare 3’s final chapter. It’s not that the setting of the newest Call of Duty game is anything crucial, but it may matter in the long run if the series is to remain relevant. Call of Duty: Ghosts received some mixed reactions but was afforded some praise for deciding to go in a new direction with a new universe. A new setting could work well to mitigate the general consensus that Call of Duty ‘never changes’.
That said, a new setting isn’t as easy to implement as you might think. World War II had already been played out long before Call of Duty joined the club, then it went on to set the standard for modern day combat which, to some, has also been played out now. The Modern Warfare games, while set in modern day, gave us a look at near future technology and proposed many ‘what ifs’ with war scenarios. Call of Duty: Black Ops II, despite being set in the far future of 2025, also had many realistic depictions of warfare and provided commentary on politics and economics. Call of Duty essentially tries to place us in a believable war, using what’s relevant to modern day state of affairs and sensationalizing it for the sake of entertainment. Even with Call of Duty: Ghosts’ use of a space missile weapon and combat in space, it was all within the realm of possibility. If Call of Duty is to change gears, would it have to shed its real life disposition altogether and go for more fantasy elements? Perhaps we might see a Call of Duty game with more sci-fi or supernatural elements, or something set in a magical universe. If any of these choices are considered, then Call of Duty as we’ve known it would probably cease to exist, which may be a good or a bad thing depending on your perspective.
How far can Call of Duty go with its spectacle?
The next gen focus of the next title might also be crucial in determining what the game will contain and it allows for many new possibilities that the series originally couldn’t handle. It’s hard to top some of the insane spectacle of Ghosts, especially the scenes involving the the space missiles or the collapsing building. Call of Duty could begin to incorporate more destruction elements that expand upon the dynamic destruction present in the multiplayer, allowing the player to perform Battlefield-like destruction at will. While subtle, a feature like this may greatly expand the gameplay and create all new experiences. The series could also consider the addition of a more open world like in some of the sections of Black Ops II’s singleplayer campaign or begin to incorporate vehicles even more than Ghosts’ campaign. There are many possibilities to shake up the tried and tested formula to make something new and great.
Another aspect of the series direction that can be considered is that of its style. As it stands, Call of Duty is often called a ‘realistic’ shooter due to its use of realistic characters and settings from the real world. Whether this is something that will change to incorporate a different visual or aesthetic style is unknown, though it would be interesting. Features such as the RPG leveling up system of its multiplayer have been ingrained in the series for years, which was originally introduced by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and FPS as a whole have adopted it since then. The system itself might not need changing at all, and for all intents and purposes it works well, but it would be a nice change to see a departure or evolution of this system. Problem is, it will be tricky to change any one part of the formula without the whole falling apart. So though many criticize the series for never changing, it’s that lack of change that has kept the games doing consistently well. Some feel that the series intrinsically is a stale concept and it should just ‘die’ for the industry to move on (though I don’t think the death of one series will prevent yearly releases or repeated gameplay from happening in games), while others think it should change drastically from its modern war settings. Some even think it’s time for FPS to go back to World War II, which Wolfenstein: The New Order seems to have covered.
While many don’t see Call of Duty going completely off the deep end just yet, the series has experimented with new ideas outside of its canon storylines. Treyarch introduced the Zombies survival modes in their games since World at War and Infinity Ward introduced the alien survival mode Extinction in Ghosts. Each of these modes have their own lore and stories, with DLC expanding the narrative even further for those wishing to dive in deeper. Neither development studio has made any mention of unique spinoff games being created from these modes, as some fans have expressed interest in them. Modes aside, Call of Duty’s weaponry, especially its attachments, have also been very experimental in their approach. Black Ops II introduced attachments such as the millimeter scanner which could see opponents through walls and Ghosts recently introduced the Ripper weapon which is a hybrid sub machine gun and assault rifle. Call of Duty games’ killstreaks are also becoming more sci-fi with such examples as Black Ops II’s stealth chopper and drones, or Ghosts’ Oracle killsteak and support satellites. As sci-fi as some of these things may seem, they’re usually based off of already existing military technology, or military technology that may soon exist. It might not be long before we begin to see nanomachines or the like, however to what degree these are implemented will vary.
Call of Duty isn’t a young series, it’s been 10 years running now and it shows no signs of stopping. While I don’t believe it necessarily has to prove itself to anyone or justify its design choices to perform relatively well, it might need a bit more changing than normal to remain relevant in the public’s eye. Aspects such as sci-fi or fantasy seem nice to consider in concept but in execution they may be another story altogether. That said, if the series has already been to space and the future, where can it go from there? Only time will tell and it will be in the hands of the developers to convince the fans and general gaming community alike that the Call of Duty series still has what it takes to make it big.