Call of Duty is one franchise that is known for blockbuster action moments. Storylines have been easy to follow and over the years, we’ve seen a trend of newer futuristic settings for the franchise installments. However, that all changed with the announcement of Call of Duty: WWII. The video game is being developed by Sledgehammer Gamers, a title that will follow-up their previous installment to the franchise, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
Since the franchise is returning more towards its roots, the developers behind the title are alerting fans that not only will the timeline differ from previous installments, but so will the narrative. In a recent interview with Glixel, Glen Schofield, Co-founder and general manager of Sledgehammer Games along with other key members involved with the development, spoke about some of the changes that are coming to the beloved first-person shooter franchise.
The differences between Sledgehammer Games previous release and their current installment of Call of Duty: WWII is massive. Within Advanced Warfare, the developers note that they wanted to give players the feeling of being a superhero. With these exoskeleton suits, players can smash players through walls and rush into open fire, but this is certainly not the case for their setting of World War II.
Instead of superhero-like soldiers, Sledgehammer Games wants to convey a more survival atmosphere with the narrative. Soldiers back in those days didn’t have the type of accuracy weaponry or protection that can stop a bullet from striking into flesh.
“In Advanced Warfare, we wanted to make you feel like a superhuman. You had the exoskeleton, you could jump over buildings and throw guys through walls. With this, we’re really on the other side of things. Here, the player character is vulnerable. He struggles to reload his weapon, he dives in the dirt to avoid fire. He hides from gunfire instead of just charging head on.”
Players will find that their characters have a feeling of fear as they enter battle as the dive into the dirt or rush towards an object to block the oncoming fire. With this big shift away from the blockbuster action sequences we’ve become accustomed to playing, Sledgehammer Games noted that it’s the walking simulator genre that really inspired them in their development.
More and more players are enjoying these walking simulator video games where the game focuses on an in-depth and strong narrative. It’s titles like Firewatch and Gone Home that the development team notes of having a compelling narrative that appeals to gamers today.
“Firewatch is one of my favorite games. Gone Home was great. Games are growing up and the audience is sophisticated. More and more, they expect a good story. Not just from blockbusters but from indies, and the whole genre is being pushed forward.”
We might not only receive a new gritty Call of Duty installment to release this year but one with a rich narrative story to drive the players towards the title’s finish line. Players can expect Call of Duty: WWII to hit store shelves on November 3, 2017, for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms.
