With the Duty series spanning two decades, fans have experienced some distinct highs and lows. The franchise’s golden age began with the original Modern Warfare and ended with Modern Warfare 3with the trilogy, World at warand the first two Black Ops games that serve as some of the very best entries in the franchise. After the lukewarm reception Call of Duty Ghosts, kicked off the controversial futuristic era, which eventually gave way to the live-service approach we’ve seen in the last few games. Within these different eras, Duty games have felt quite similar to each other.
You only have to look at the futuristic era to see how much they resemble each other Duty could get titles. For example, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare felt almost exactly the same as Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, with the only differences being that it was further in the future and had less color. Likewise in modern times, Call of Duty: Vanguard feels a lot like Modern Warfare 2019 with a World War II skin, without its own identity. Going forward, every developer should strive to be Duty title feels more unique due to three vastly different settings and types of gameplay.
Balancing Past, Present and Future with Call of Duty
Although controversial, the decision to make Call of Duty to the future was not bad. Instead, the problem stemmed from choosing to stick with a futuristic setting and different games for several years. With the right approach, futuristic Duty games can be successful, especially if they are launched every few years to shake things up a bit.
When it comes to the developer to lead the futuristic trend, Sledgehammer Games is undoubtedly the way to go. The studio has struggled immensely with both World War II games, but Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare felt like a passion project with a clear personality. While it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, the exosuit move was polished and led to cards unlike anything the series had seen before. Character customization was also at its best, with players being able to edit multiple parts of their character. Upgradeable killstreaks and futuristic weapons also proved interesting.
With the following from Treyarch Duty game is not coming until 2024, and the next one Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 seemingly set to the first two years Call of Duty gamea new futuristic Codfish title of Sledgehammer would be years away. Furthermore, the gap between any futuristic game would be quite large, giving fans time to miss out on exo gameplay and tired of the boots on the ground. Speaking of Treyarch, however, the studio has consistently shown it’s best at embracing historical conflicts like the Cold War, so sticking to the past would be ideal. Zombies should also be exclusive to Treyarch Duty games, with the studio’s titles receiving constant Zombies updates for years after they’re released.
As for Infinity Ward, it has found success again with the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare subseries. While Call of Duty Ghosts and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare had some strengths, most agreed they were a step below the original Modern Warfare trilogy, so it makes sense for Infinity Ward to stick with what it knows best. Fortunately, given the success of the restart Modern Warfare universe, Infinity Ward will likely continue to explore it for a while. This is good news, especially for those who like the slow, methodical style of the new one Modern Warfare spell. Though it would soon get old if any Duty played this way, with a more tactical game here and there is a good thing, as it caters to a different type again Codfish fan.
If Sledgehammer can handle futuristic Duty titles, Treyarch covers real-life conflicts of the past and Infinity Ward sticks to contemporary warfare, each entry can appeal to a different audience. This also applies to the gameplay, which makes the suggestion even more appealing. Sledgehammer’s games could introduce new gimmicks and exosuit-related abilities, Treyarch’s could offer fast combat, specialists and slower time-to-kills, and Infinity Ward’s could lean on tactical gameplay and a fast TTK. This way every type Duty player gets a game that fits their interests every few years, and each developer leans on their strengths rather than trying to emulate what their peers do. Dedicated Duty fans probably already have their preference when it comes to developers, so it only makes sense for each studio to fully embrace the different qualities of its games.
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