If there is one video game that someone who has never played any before will have heard of, it will undoubtedly be Call of Duty. This giant of the industry has dominated the scene stretching back as far as 2007 and consistently tops sales charts every year when it comes out. For the uninitiated, Call of Duty is a first-person shooter in which players can compete against each other, play a story mode, and typically access a third game mode of some kind. Despite its success, Call of Duty has always been a game that has proved controversial and divisive every year.
Although the series started in 2003, most fans would agree that it did not explode until the release of Modern Warfare in 2007. From here, the series would enjoy a golden era from that year until 2012. These five years are held in high regard by much of the community, and each game had a distinctive and memorable feel. However, with 2013 came the release of Ghosts, and everything changed. Until then, fans had only had experience with sequels of already existing series, namely the Modern Warfare and Black Ops franchises. However, with Ghosts, Infinity Ward introduced a new story, new characters, new guns, and a new game engine. Although the game was met with critical praise, the fanbase had already voiced their disapproval of the changes, and the game went down in history as a Call of Duty to forget.
The same reaction can be seen throughout every iteration of the game from that point. Although the split has gotten smaller over the years, fans still cry out every release date. This is of course a result of having one of the largest communities in gaming, there are going to be a higher number of fans that do not like change. Naturally, this leaves the developers in a sticky situation. Half of the fanbase does not want change, while the other half actively encourages it. When one of these sides is given their ‘ideal’ game, they suddenly change their minds and exclaim that it is not what they asked for.
Fortunately, 2019 saw a change to this pattern with the release of a rebooted Modern Warfare. This game saw Call of Duty go back to its roots and the game that started it all. The reception was overwhelmingly positive and saw the majority of the community pleased as the game had aspects that hearkened to the past but also embraced the future at the same time. The implementation of Battle Royale game mode Warzone has seen the game enjoy explosive success. While some people opted for other entertainment during lockdown such as online gambling, Casino Genie has some great sites, many more played Warzone every day, and the game amassed over 100 million players.
Call of Duty has always been a fun game to play with friends, but many of its problems arise from its indecisive, ironically immature player base. With the last two releases in the series, the game has enjoyed a positive reception, and developers Sledgehammer Games will look to continue that going forward into 2021’s release.
