Call of Duty: The History of a Blockbuster Game Series

5 Facts About Call of Duty

• Call of Duty has been played for over 25 million hours.
• Modern Warfare 3 is the fastest-selling video game of all time.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 also made $775 million in the first five days of its launch, more than Avatar, the highest-grossing Hollywood movie at the time.
• Combining every player’s daily gaming hours adds up to more than 2000 years of Call of Duty.
• Call of Duty has over 100 million players, more than the entire population of many countries.

What is Call of Duty: Explained

Call of Duty is a popular first-person shooter video game. The game is mainly known for multiplayer modes, but the campaigns for each version have achieved critical acclaim. The player takes control of a character customized with a default loadout of guns. They can also pick up and wield the weapons of fallen enemies.

The player’s arms and hands are visible in-game from the central game perspective, holding whatever weapon the player has equipped. The game further allows you to control your gun in aiming mode, bringing the weapon’s scope or other optics up to eye level to help the player aim shots.

The term “first-person shooter” primarily refers to the game’s perspective but has become a stand-in for the game genre to define the game further away from a simple shooter, which can include third-person shooters.

Call of Duty was initially set in World War II, but more recent iterations have delved into the world of the Cold War, modern and futuristic settings.

How to Use Call of Duty

Call of Duty is available on multiple platforms, and controls change based on what platform you’re playing on. On PC, you typically use a combination of WASD to move and left-click to shoot, with other commands peppered across the keyboard. 

Console controls vary between consoles but are generally similar between PlayStation and Xbox. The player will use the left joystick to control movement while aiming with the right joystick. Weapon fire is achieved using the R1 button, and various other commands are peppered across the controller.

How to Learn Call of Duty

Typically the hardest thing to overcome in the Call of Duty is the need for twitch reflexes. Both the single-player campaigns and multiplayer require the player to have relatively good reaction time and aim, which require twitch reflexes. As a result, many people find the games unwieldy or difficult due to the high-skill floor often associated with games.

The best way to learn Call of Duty is to play the game on your preferred platform. Console players will have access to what’s known as Aim Assist, which allows you to lock onto targets when aiming with joysticks. However, when using a mouse and keyboard, the game does not use Aim Assist as the mouse and keyboard enable faster reaction times and more precise camera movements.

Playing the game will improve your intimate knowledge of game mechanics. You can also train twitch reflexes and aim skills through regular gaming. By playing the game, you will learn which shots you can and can’t make and train each mechanic until they are naught but muscle memory.

The Difference Between Call of Duty vs Battlefield

While Call of Duty and Battlefield are popular first-person shooters, they have many differences. However, the most poignant difference between these games is the treatment of the single-player campaign. Battlefield games tend to treat the single-player campaign like an unnecessary add-on, while Call of Duty tends to flesh out their stories and characters to a deeper level.

Call of Duty Release History

Call of Duty has a decorated release history. A name game comes out almost every year, leading to many in-jokes in the gaming community regarding how similar and quickly produced the games are. The first game launched in 2003.

Call of Duty

Call of Duty is the original game that spawned the series. It’s a first-person shooter based on id Tech 3. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. An expansion called Call of Duty: United Offensive was released for the game after its initial success. The game is set in WWII and follows American and British troopers and the Red Army.

Call of Duty 2

This game is a direct sequel to Call of Duty, also set during World War II. The game follows members of the Red Army, British Armed Forces, and United States Army as they fight through World War II. It was first released for Windows in 2005, then Xbox 360 in 2006. Since then, versions of the game for Mobile and other consoles have come out.

Call of Duty 3

It was the first major title in the series not to be developed by Infinity Ward, but by Treyarch instead. It was also the first mainline Call of Duty installment not to be released on PC. Like the previous games, this is set during World War II.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

This game is the first in the series not to be set during World War II. Infinity Ward developed it, and the game was released for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Aspyr released the MacOS version of the game, and there was also a Nintendo DS version of the game.

Call of Duty: World at War

This game returned to the World War II settings and was developed by Treyarch. The game starts the Black Ops storyline and features the Pacific theater and Eastern front of the World War II setting.  The game was released for the PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 consoles, and the Nintendo DS.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Modern Warfare 2 continues the story of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, following the fictional anti-terrorist multi-national task force, Task Force 141. The game was released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows. A Nintendo DS port of the game called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Mobilized was also released alongside a Wii port of the game called Modern Warfare.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Black Ops is the third installment in the series by Treyarch and the seventh installment in the series chronologically. It is the first story to take place in the Cold War and the Vietnam War.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Modern Warfare 3 was partly developed by Infinity Ward with help from Sledgehammer Games. Raven Software was also brought in to assist with cosmetic menu upgrades. The game was said to have been in development since just two weeks after the release of Modern Warfare 2.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Developed by Treyarch, Black Ops II is the ninth installment of the Call of Duty series. It did future warfare technology and branching storylines determined by player choices rather than a linear story unaffected by player actions.

Call of Duty: Ghosts

Ghosts is a standalone game, meaning the story is unrelated to any other game. It was developed by Infinity Ward and was the first Call of Duty installment to be developed primarily for eighth-gen consoles (PlayStation 4/Xbox One).

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Advanced Warfare is another standalone Call of Duty game developed by Sledgehammer Games in conjunction with Raven Software and High Moon Studios. It was the first game in the series to include double jumping and boost sliding.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Black Ops III is the thirteenth primary installment of the series, developed by Treyarch. It was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. A feature-limited game version developed by Beenox and Mercenary Technology allowed PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 users to access the multiplayer modes.

Call of Duty: WWII

WWII returned to the series’ roots and covered the European theatre, following the story of a 1st Infantry Division unit and their battles on the Western front. The story is mainly set during the real-life battle of Normandy, Operation Overlord.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Black Ops 4 was the first edition not to launch with a single-player campaign, instead focusing on expanding the multiplayer options and modes. It was also the first time in the series that a battle royale mode, named Blackout in-game, was introduced to the game. Black Ops 4 was developed by Treyarch.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

This is a remake of Modern Warfare; the second remaster of the game. This version of Modern Warfare is a complete reboot, featuring a darker and more realistic story than previous iterations of Call of Duty. Infinity Ward developed it.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Treyarch and Raven Studios developed black Ops Cold War. It is set during the 1980s and focuses on American and Soviet espionage. Chronologically, within the series, the story of Black Ops Cold War occurs between the stories of Black Ops and Black Ops II.

Call of Duty: Vanguard

Vanguard was primarily developed by Sledgehammer Games though Treyarch developed the game’s Zombies mode. The story follows the creation of the Special Forces in response to the developments in the various theatres during World War II.

Final Thoughts

While there are many jokes about the similarities shown in each new Call of Duty game, it’s without parallel regarding its impact on the first-person shooter genre. This game series has definitely altered and influenced the trajectory of game design, for better or worse. We hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about this prolific game series with us!

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Diego Thomazini/Shutterstock.com.