Treyarch made one last World War II-based game,World at War (2008), before releasingBlack Ops (2010) and subsequently creating theBlack Ops sub-series. Six more entries,Black Ops II (2012),Black Ops III (2015),Black Ops 4 (2018),Black Ops Cold War (2020),Black Ops 6 (2024), andBlack Ops 7 (2025) were made, the latter three in conjunction withRaven Software. Sledgehammer Games, which were co-developers forModern Warfare 3, have also developed three titles,Advanced Warfare (2014),WWII (2017), andVanguard (2021). They are also the lead developer forModern Warfare III (2023), the third entry in theModern Warfare reboot sub-series.
^A port for theWii, titledCall of Duty: Modern Warfare – Reflex Edition, developed byTreyarch, was released in November 2009.
^abcdA remaster of the game's campaign,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, developed byBeenox, was released in March 2020 for the PS4 and April 2020 for Windows and Xbox One.
Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game based onid Tech 3, and was released on October 29, 2003. The game was developed byInfinity Ward and published byActivision. The game simulates theinfantry andcombined arms warfare ofWorld War II.[4] An expansion pack,Call of Duty: United Offensive, was developed byGray Matter Studios with contributions from Pi Studios and produced by Activision. The game follows American and British paratroopers and the Red Army. TheMac OS X version of the game was ported byAspyr Media. In late 2004, theN-Gage version was developed byNokia and published by Activision. Other versions were released for PC, including Collector's Edition (with soundtrack and strategy guide), Game of the Year Edition (includes game updates), and the Deluxe Edition (which contains theUnited Offensive expansion and soundtrack; in Europe the soundtrack was not included). On September 22, 2006,Call of Duty,United Offensive, andCall of Duty 2 were released together asCall of Duty: War Chest for PC.[5] Since November 12, 2007,Call of Duty games have been available for purchase viaValve's content delivery platformSteam.[6]
Call of Duty 2 is a first-person shooter video game and the sequel toCall of Duty. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The game is set during World War II and is experienced through the perspectives of soldiers in theRed Army,British Army, andUnited States Army. It was released on October 25, 2005, forWindows, November 15, 2005, for theXbox 360, and June 13, 2006, for Mac OS X. Other versions were made formobile phones,Pocket PCs, andsmartphones.
Call of Duty 3 is a first-person shooter and the third installment in theCall of Duty video game series. Released on November 7, 2006, the game was developed byTreyarch, and was the first major installment in theCall of Duty series not to be developed by Infinity Ward. It was also the first not to be released on the PC platform. It was released on thePlayStation 2,PlayStation 3,Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360.[7]
Call of Duty: Vanguard is the eighteenth game in the series and is developed bySledgehammer Games, withTreyarch developing the game's Zombies mode. It was released on November 5, 2021, for PC,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The story depicts the birth of special forces to face an emerging threat at the end of the war during varioustheaters of World War II.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the fourth installment of the main series and was the first game in the Modern Warfare timeline. Developed by Infinity Ward, it is the first game in the series not to be set during World War II. The game was released for Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 7, 2007. Download and retail versions for Mac OS X were released byAspyr in September 2008. As of May 2009,Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has sold over 13 million copies.[10]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is a remastered version ofCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare that was released alongside the Legacy Edition, Legacy Pro Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition ofCall of Duty: Infinite Warfare on November 4, 2016, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.[11] It was later released standalone on June 27, 2017, for PS4, and July 27, 2017, for Xbox One and PC.[12] The game was developed byRaven Software and executive produced by Infinity Ward.[13][14]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the sixth installment of the main series, and the second game in the Modern Warfare timeline. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision.[15][16]Activision Blizzard announcedModern Warfare 2 on February 11, 2009.[17][18] The game was released worldwide on November 10, 2009, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows.[15] A Nintendo DS iteration of the game, titledCall of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized, was released alongside the game and the Wii port ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare.[19][20]Modern Warfare 2 is the direct sequel toCall of Duty 4 and continues the same storyline, taking place five years after the first game and featuring several returning characters includingCaptain Price and"Soap" MacTavish.[21]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
A visually updated version of the original, it was released for PlayStation 4 on March 31, 2020, and for Xbox One and Windows on April 30, 2020. It only includes the campaign mode with no multiplayer and Spec Ops components. When purchased, players can unlock various cosmetic items in 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and 2020's Call of Duty: Warzone.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the eighth installment of the main series and the third installment of theModern Warfare arc. Due to a legal dispute between the game's publisher Activision and the former co-executives of Infinity Ward – which caused several lay-offs and departures within the company[22] – Sledgehammer Games assisted in the development of the game, while Raven Software was brought in to make cosmetic changes to the menus of the game.[23] The game was said to have been in development since only two weeks after the release ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.[23] Sledgehammer was aiming for a "bug free" first outing in theCall of Duty franchise, and had also set a goal forMetacritic review scores above 95 percent.[24]
The game continues the story from the point at which it ended in theCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and continues the fictional battle story between the United States andRussia, which evolves into theThird World War betweenNATO allied nations and ultra-nationalist Russia.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the sixteenth entry in theCall of Duty series and is also areboot of theModern Warfare sub-series. The story has been described to be darker and more realistic than previousCall of Duty games. It is set in theBlack Ops timeline,[25] separate from the otherModern Warfare games (however, characters such as Captain Price and other fan favorites from the series make a return). The game was officially revealed on May 30, 2019, and released on October 25, 2019.
The second mainbattle royale installment in theCall of Duty franchise, titledCall of Duty: Warzone, was released in March 2020, as a part of theCall of Duty: Modern Warfare video game but does not require purchase of it.[26] The title exceeded 50 million players in the first month after release.[27]
Activision confirmed a sequel to the 2019Modern Warfare game on February 11, 2022, to be developed by Infinity Ward.[28] The game's logo and title was revealed on April 28, 2022.[29] During Activision's 'Call of Duty NEXT' broadcast on September 15, 2022, the game's multiplayer was fully revealed, along with details on thenext version ofWarzone and a mobile version ofWarzone, both set to launch slightly afterModern Warfare II's launch.[30][31]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II was released on October 28, with Campaign Early Access for pre-orders on October 20.[32]
Call of Duty: World at War, developed by Treyarch, is the fifth installment of the main series. Released afterModern Warfare, it returns to the World War II setting of earlier titles,[33] featuring thePacific theater andEastern front. The game uses the same proprietary game engine asCall of Duty 4 and was released for the PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 consoles and theNintendo DS handheld in North America on November 11, 2008, and November 14, 2008, in Europe. As of June 2009,Call of Duty: World at War has sold over 11 million copies.[34] It acts as a prologue for Treyarch's next game,Black Ops, which is in the same universe, sharing characters and story references.[35][36]
Call of Duty: Black Ops is the seventh installment in the series,[37][38][39] the third developed by Treyarch and was published by Activision for release on November 9, 2010. It is the first game in the series to take place during theCold War and also takes place partially in theVietnam War. It was initially available for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 and was later released for theWii as well as the Nintendo DS.[40]
Call of Duty: Black Ops II is the ninth main installment in the series, developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. The game was revealed on May 1, 2012.[41][42] It was the first game in the series to feature future warfare technology, and the campaign features multiple branching storylines driven by player choice and multiple endings. It was later released on November 13, 2012.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III is the twelfth main installment in the series, developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. The game was released on November 6, 2015.[43]
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is the fifteenth main installment in the series. It was developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. The game was released on October 12, 2018.[44] It was the first featuredCall of Duty game to forgo asingle-player campaign game mode, focusing only on the multiplayer aspect of the game. The game also introduced an entirely newbattle royale game mode, calledBlackout, in addition to multiplayer and zombies co-op mode.[45]
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is the seventeenth main installment in the series. It was developed by Treyarch andRaven Software, and published by Activision. The game was released on November 13, 2020. Set during the 1980s and focusing on Soviet and American espionage during the Cold War, the game is chronologically set betweenCall of Duty: Black Ops andBlack Ops II.[46]
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the 21st major work in the series. It was developed byTreyarch andRaven Software and released by Activision on October 25, 2024.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is the 22nd major work in the series. It was developed byTreyarch andRaven Software and published by Activision. It was first revealed through a teaser trailer on June 8, 2025 and was released on November 14, 2025.[47]
Call of Duty: Ghosts is the tenth main installment in the series and was developed by Infinity Ward. The game was released on November 5, 2013.[48][49] It was the first game to be developed foreighth-gen consoles such as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[50]
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the eleventh main installment in the series, developed by Sledgehammer Games with assistance from Raven Software andHigh Moon Studios. It was released on November 4, 2014.[51] The game was the first game in the series to feature advanced movements, such asdouble jump and boost slide.[52]
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is the thirteenth main installment in the series, developed by Infinity Ward, and was published by Activision. The game was released on November 4, 2016.[53]
Primary developer rotation
In 2006, Treyarch releasedCall of Duty 3, their firstCall of Duty game of the main series. Treyarch and Infinity Ward signed a contract stating that the producer of each upcoming title in the series would alternate between the two companies. In 2010, Sledgehammer Games announced they were working on a main series title for the franchise. This game was postponed to help Infinity Ward produceModern Warfare 3. In 2014, it was confirmed that Sledgehammer Games would produce the 2014 title,Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and the studios would begin a three-year rotation.[54][55] After Sledgehammer developedCall of Duty: WWII (2017), they began developing a newCall of Duty entry alongsideRaven Software due for release in 2020. However, there were conflicts of interest between the two, which resulted in Treyarch taking over control of the project to speed up the development process.[56]
Call of Duty Online was announced byActivision when the company first stated their interest in aMassively multiplayer online game (MMO) in early 2011. By then, it had been in development for two years.Call of Duty Online isfree-to-play for mainland China and is hosted byTencent, since Activision had lost the publishing rights toCall of Duty and several other franchises in China due to a legal dispute on most of the gaming consoles (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3, andWii).
Call of Duty: Mobile is the franchise's mobile title for iOS and Android developed byTencent Games'TiMi Studios. It was released globally on October 1, 2019.[57] Previously, it was first announced on March 18, 2019, at the year'sGame Developers Conference.[58] As of October 4, 2019, the game has surpassed over 35 million downloads worldwide.[59]
Call of Duty: Warzone is an online battle royale game developed by Infinity Ward and Raven Software and released by Activision. The game was released on March 10, 2020, as part ofModern Warfare (2019), but can be downloaded without ownership of the former title. The game shares progression with, and uses gameplay items fromModern Warfare, as well asBlack Ops Cold War andVanguard following several integration updates to incorporate content from these titles. Activision has announced that a mobile version ofWarzone was in development, slated to be released sometime in the future.[60]
A successor toWarzone, initially titledCall of Duty: Warzone 2.0, also developed by Infinity Ward and Raven Software, was released on November 16, 2022, as part of a content update forModern Warfare II. Following its fourth seasonal update,Warzone 2.0 was renamed to simplyWarzone. Like the previous iteration,Warzone (2022) is available for separate download without requiring ownership ofModern Warfare II, and was subsequently integrated with gameplay items and progression fromModern Warfare III. In addition to sharing progression with the aforementioned titles, the game is also linked toWarzone Mobile, a standalone mobile game that incorporatesModern Warfare II andModern Warfare III gameplay items while played on separate maps and game modes.
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is a discontinued mobile battle royale game developed by Activision Shanghai, Beenox, Digital Legends Entertainment, and Solid State Studios, in partnership with other Activision studios.[citation needed] The game has cross-progression withModern Warfare II,Modern Warfare III andWarzone 2.0 and uses their gameplay items but does not support cross-platform play with the aforementioned titles. The game was released on November 30, 2022, in Australia and March 24, 2023, in Chile, Norway and Sweden, as part of a "Limited Release" phase, with the first map being a ported version of Verdansk, which first appeared in the originalWarzone. The game was officially released foriOS andAndroid devices on March 21, 2024.
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is the first console installment ofCall of Duty and was released on theGameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game include anonline multiplayer mode which supports up to 32 players. It also includes new game modes.
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a spin-off ofCall of Duty 2 developed by Treyarch and based on the American1st Infantry Division's exploits during World War II. The game was released on GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.
Call of Duty: World at War – Final Fronts is the PlayStation 2 adaptation ofCall of Duty: World at War. Developed byRebellion Developments,Final Fronts features three campaigns involving the U.S. fighting in thePacific theater, theBattle of the Bulge, and the British advancing on the Rhine River into Germany.
Handheld titles
Call of Duty (for N-Gage)
Call of Duty is a N-Gage game which is a portable spin-off of 2003'sCall of Duty.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized is the Nintendo DS companion game forModern Warfare 2. Developed byn-Space, the game takes place in the same setting as the main console game but follows a different storyline and cast of characters. Playing as the S.A.S. and the Marines in campaign mode, both forces are trying to find a nuclear bomb.
Call of Duty: Black Ops (for Nintendo DS)
Call of Duty: Black Ops is the Nintendo DS companion game forBlack Ops. Developed byn-Space, the game takes place in the same setting as the main console game, but follows a different storyline and cast of characters.[62][63]
Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified is aPlayStation VitaCall of Duty game.[64]
Mobile titles
Call of Duty (for Mobile)
Call of Duty is the J2ME mobile spin-off of 2003'sCall of Duty.[65]
Call of Duty 2 (for Mobile)
Call of Duty 2 is the J2ME mobile spin-off ofCall of Duty 2.[65]
Call of Duty 3 (for Mobile)
Call of Duty 3 is the J2ME mobile spin-off ofCall of Duty 3.
Call of Duty 2 Pocket PC Edition
Call of Duty 2 Pocket PC Edition is the Windows Mobile spin-off ofCall of Duty 2.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (for Mobile)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the J2ME mobile spin-off of 2007'sModern Warfare.
Call of Duty: World at War (for Mobile)
Call of Duty: World at War is the J2ME mobile spin-off ofWorld at War.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Force Recon
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Force Recon is the J2ME mobile spin-off ofModern Warfare 2. Developed byGlu Mobile, the game takes place in Mexico five years afterModern Warfare.
Call of Duty: World at War – Zombies is a first-person shooter video game developed by Ideaworks Game Studio and published by Activision foriOS. It is aspin-off of theCall of Duty series and based on the "Nazi Zombies" mode ofCall of Duty: World at War.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Mobile
Call of Duty: Black Ops Mobile is the J2ME mobile spin-off ofBlack Ops.
Call of Duty: Black Ops – Zombies is a first-person shooter video game developed by Ideaworks Game Studio and published by Activision forAndroid and iOS. It is a sequel toCall of Duty: World at War – Zombies.
Call of Duty: Strike Team is a first and third-person shooter game developed by The Blast Furnace and published by Activision for iOS and Android. The game is set in 2020 with players tasked with leading a U.S.Joint Special Operations Team after the country "finds themselves in a war with an unknown enemy".
Compilations
Call of Duty: The War Collection
Call of Duty: The War Collection is a boxed set compilation ofCall of Duty 2,Call of Duty 3 andCall of Duty: World at War. It was released for the Xbox 360 on June 1, 2010.[66]
Canceled titles
Call of Duty: Combined Forces
Call of Duty: Combined Forces was a proposed concept draft originally intended to be a sequel toCall of Duty: Finest Hour. However, due to multiple legal issues that arose betweenSpark Unlimited,Electronic Arts, andActivision as well as other production problems, the game's draft and scripts never came to be. The game was projected to cost $10.5 million to produce afterFinest Hour was complete. Eventually, Activision deemed the pitch as more of an expansion than something entirely new, causing the company to reject the proposal and end their contract with Spark Unlimited shortly after.[67]
Call of Duty: Devil's Brigade
Call of Duty: Devil's Brigade was a canceled first-person shooter for theXbox 360 developed by Underground Entertainment. The game was set in World War II, mainly focusing on the Italian Campaign.[68]
Call of Duty: Future Warfare / NX1
In 2010, after the fracturing ofInfinity Ward and departure of Jason West andVince Zampella, studioNeversoft was tasked by Activision to develop a sci-fi spinoff in theCall of Duty franchise, experimenting with low-gravity gameplay and other aspects of the engine. At an unknown point in time, the project was scrapped, and assets were reused inGhosts andInfinite Warfare. Footage of the project (known asFuture Warfare) was leaked online in January 2024, revealing a complete opening mission, and an in-development multiplayer that was still reusing assets from 2009'sModern Warfare 2. After the leaks, former Neversoft developer Brian Bright came along and confirmed the leaks, stating that the game had two or three complete missions, and a large amount of multiplayer work done. He also referred to the project as "NX1", and that the game was meant to be released in 2013 in place ofGhosts.[69][70]
Call of Duty: Roman Wars was a canceled third and first-person video game in theCall of Duty franchise developed byVicarious Visions. The game was set inancient Rome, and allowed players to take control of famous historical figureJulius Caesar, along with "low grunts", and officers of theTenth Legion. It was eventually canceled, asActivision had uncertainties about branding it as aCall of Duty title.[73]
UntitledCall of Duty Zombies game
Between 2012 and 2013,Raven Software was developing a stand-aloneCall of Duty Zombies game, afterTreyarch's internal decision to move from the traditionalBlack Ops Zombies mode and focusing on the single-player and multiplayer aspects of their next game,Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015). Designed to be afree-to-play arena, the game was taking inspirations from theMad Max movies. Former Raven's lead designer Michael Gulmmelt came along and confirmed the leaks in April 2024, and revealed that Raven canceled the project after Treyarch move back on the production ofBlack Ops Zombies and decided that Raven's game would create an internal competition.[74]
Other media
Comic books
Modern Warfare 2: Ghost is a six-part comic book mini-series based onCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The storyline focuses on the backstory of the characterSimon "Ghost" Riley. The series is published byWildStorm and the first issue was released on November 10, 2009, alongside the game.[75]
Call of Duty: Zombies is a six-part comic book series published byDark Horse Comics. The series ties in with the Zombies game mode of theBlack Ops subseries developed byTreyarch. The series is co-written byJustin Jordan, Treyarch's Jason Blundell and Craig Houston. The series is illustrated by artist Jonathan Wayshak and colorist Dan Jackson. The cover arts are handled by artistSimon Bisley. The series was announced by Treyarch in July 2016, with the first issue slated for release in October. After a slight delay, the first issue was released on October 26, 2016. The five other issues were released in the months of 2017: issue #2 released on January 11, 2017; issue #3 released on March 1, 2017; issue #4 released on April 19, 2017; issue #5 released on June 21, 2017; and issue #6 released on August 23, 2017. A paperback edition containing all six issues was released on November 15, 2017.[76]
Merchandise
In 2004,Activision, in cooperation with the companies Plan-B Toys and Radioactive Clown, released the "Call of Duty: Series 1" line of action figures, which included three American soldiers and three German soldiers from the World War II era.[77] While the American G.I. action figure was made in 2004,[78] Plan-B Toys later discontinued a controversial Nazi SS Guard action figure based on the Nazi Totenkopf officer seen inCall of Duty.[79] In 2008,McFarlane Toys announced their partnership with Activision to produce action figures for theCall of Duty series. McFarlane Toys' first series of action figures were released in October 2008 and consists of four different figures: Marine with Flamethrower, Marine Infantry, British Special Ops, and Marine with Machine Gun.[80]
Short films
Find Makarov is a fan-made film that was well received byCall of Duty publishers, Activision, who contacted We Can Pretend and subsequently produced a second short film,Operation Kingfish.[81]
On November 6, 2015, upon the release ofBlack Ops III,The Hollywood Reporter reported that Activision Blizzard launched a production studio calledActivision Blizzard Studios and are planning a live actionCall of Duty cinematic universe in 2019.[82] On February 16, 2018, it was announced thatStefano Sollima will direct the film. Days later, he told Metro UK that he is considering having bothTom Hardy andChris Pine as the leads for the film.[83][84] In an interview with FilmSlash, Sollima stated that the film will be a real soldier movie, not a war movie.[85] On November 27, 2018, it was announced thatJoe Robert Cole will be writing the sequel.[86] Filming of the first film was supposed to start in Spring 2019 for a 2020 or 2021 release.[87] In February 2020, Sollima revealed in an interview that the film had been put on hold as it was not Activision's priority.[88]
In September 2025,Paramount Pictures announced that they andMicrosoft ownedActivision have inked deal that will see the studio develop, produce and distribute a live-action film based on theCall of Duty franchise.[89] In October 2025, it was announced thatPeter Berg has been attached to direct, withTaylor Sheridan co-writing the screenplay and co-producing with Berg.[90]
Players can compete in ladders or tournaments. The ladders are divided into several sub ladders such as the singles ladder, doubles ladder, team ladder (3v3 – 6v6) and hardcore team ladder (3v3 – 6v6). The difference between the regular team ladder and the hardcore team ladder is the in-game settings and thus a rule differentiation. Winning ladder matches on a competitive website rewards the user with experience points which add up to give them an overall rank.[92]
The tournaments offered on these websites provide players with the opportunity to win cash prizes and trophies. The trophies are registered and saved on the player's profile if/when they win a tournament, and the prize money is deposited into his or her bank account.Call of Duty: Ghosts was the most competitively played game in 2014, with an average of 15,000 teams participating every season.[93]
For the past 6 seasons in competitiveCall of Duty,Full Sail University has hosted a prize giveaway, giving $2,500 to the top team each season.[94] The other ladders give out credits and medals registered on players' profiles. Tournaments hosted on theCall of Duty: Ghosts's Arena give cost from 15 to 30 credits, thus averaging at a cost of about $18.75 per tournament. If the player competes with a team, the prize money is divided, and an equal cut is given to each player. Other tournaments with substantial prizes are hosted in specific cities and countries forLAN teams.
The biggestCall of Duty tournament hosted wasCall of Duty: Experience 2011, a tournament that began whenCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was released.[95]
PlayingCall of Duty competitively is most popular in Europe and North America, with users who participate in tournaments and ladder matches daily.[96]
Co-chairman GeneralJames L. Jones is a formerU.S. National Security Advisor.[99] FounderRobert Kotick is the CEO of Activision Blizzard. Upon its founding in 2009, the organization announced a commitment to create thousands of career opportunities for veterans, including those returning from theMiddle East.[100] Annual awards given by the endowment include the "Seal of Distinction", a $30,000 initial grant given to selected veteran's service organizations.[101] In November 2014, the endowment launched the "Race to 1,000 Jobs" campaign to encourage gamers to donate money to and get involved in organizations that provide veterans with services.[102] As of 2015[update], the Call of Duty Endowment had provided around $12 million in grants to veterans' organizations in the United States, which has helped find jobs for 14,700 veterans.[103]
On March 30, 2010, CODE presented 3,000 copies ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, approximately $180,000 in value, to theU.S. Navy. The copies were delivered to over 300 ships and submarines as well as Navy Morale, Welfare, and Recreation facilities worldwide.[104]
Criticism, controversies, and legal actions
Accusations of stereotyping and Western bias
TheCall of Duty series has been the subject of criticism for its "western-centric worldview, clumsy stereotyping and fetishisation of military power", according toThe Guardian's Keith Stuart.[105] Writing forGameSpot, Phil Hornshall said the series "usually comes off as pro-gun and pro-military at the very least, and evenjingoistic."[106] Sam Biddle ofThe New Yorker wrote that the series maintains "massive bipartisan appeal" owing to its "reactionary nature". He criticized Activision Blizzard's claim that the games wereapolitical, writing they "now pushed so deeply into the territory of right-wing fantasy that it reaches a point of inadvertent parody".[107] Similarly,PC Gamer's Tyler Wilde criticized marketing thatCall of Duty: WWII was made from anti-war sentiment and that playing as a virtual soldier could increase empathy; he felt through the game's announcement trailer it instead glorified a "brutal but noble" conflict in a game series that was no deeper than an action drama.[108]
Others have faultedCall of Duty's representation ofethnic andreligious groups.Kotaku's Alyssa Mercante, alongside severalMuslim andArab members of the games industry, thought the series "historically dehumanize[s]" the aforementioned groups with harmful stereotypes and narratives. This included portraying theMiddle East as undesirable where "the line between truth and fiction can blur", and creating localized fictional regions in a way that "perpetuat[es] the idea that there is a singular, Middle Eastern country".[109]Inverse's Gregory Lawrence felt thatCall of Duty avoided accusations ofIslamophobia by including "good" Muslim characters, but without further exploring their morality.[110] Writing forThe Progressive, Joe Mayall thought that the games' depiction of its antagonists asanti-Western was a "dangerous oversimplification", the same attitude of which had led to the United States' (US)participation in wars.[111]
A perceived strong Western bias in the series has been a point of criticism.[109][111][112][113]TheGamer's Tessa Kaur condemned its portrayal of war that she thought depictedU.S. soldiers as heroes while having "no moral quandary", being "distinctively pro-intervention", and "perpetuat[ing] false beliefs" about real-world conflicts. Kaur questioned if the games could ever move beyond glorifying the U.S. military to tell "impactful and honest stories about the cruelty of war".[112] Mayall wroteCall of Duty "exaggerates the effectiveness and cleanliness ofmilitarism while understating the repercussions", leaving audiences with a heavily skewed version of reality. He felt this did the most harm by portraying military intervention as the best form offoreign policy.[111] Conversely, Lawrence thought that the series had a surprising indifference in presenting the U.S. military favorably; he cited the rebootedModern Warfare sub-series involving player-characters serving "corrupt masters embedded in a corrupt operation run by more corrupt masters".[110]
Some have linked the sensed partiality with theU.S. government'smilitary–entertainment complex. Kaur wroteCall of Duty was one example of entertainment media the authorities had exploited sinceWorld War II to promote certain narratives in their favor;[112] Mayall notedthe Pentagon had consulted on "more than a thousand movies and dozens of video games".[111] Alan MacLeod, a writer on the subject of propaganda, suggested thatCall of Duty: Modern Warfare II was a "psychological operation" for the US.[113] Affiliations betweenCall of Duty staff and the U.S. government have been felt to contribute to this.[112][113][114] In an interview withThe Guardian,Call of Duty: Black Ops II writer Dave Anthony said how he was contacted by a former Pentagon official to join an expert panel to discuss the future of warfare. He consequently joined a Washington-basedthink tank that advises on the future of unknown conflicts and threats.[114] Similarly, while plottingCall of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Michael Condrey of Sledgehammer Games revealed the studio had consulted with a Pentagon advisor to discuss the likeliest future military threat to the US.[111][114][115] Some wrote of howCall of Duty had also been used as a recruitment tool by the U.S. military.[112][113] Kaur said they had once considered plans to grow its audience by payingCall of Duty streamers and organisingesports tournaments involving soldiers and streamers; they had backed out when reports ofsexual harassment at Activision Blizzard were publicized.[112]
As Infinity Ward's founders Jason West and Vince Zampella started new contract negotiations to continue developing theCall of Duty Activision around 2007, a number of legal issues arose between Infinity Ward and Activision. Ultimately, West and Zampella were forced out of Infinity Ward, later formingRespawn Entertainment withinElectronic Arts. West and Zampella, as well as several Infinity Ward staff that departed the studio alongside them to join Respawn, filed lawsuits against Activision related to unpaid royalties and bonuses.
Modern Warfare 2 received significant controversy due to its inclusion of the level "No Russian", in which the player participates in a massacre of civilians at a Russian airport.
Trademark infringement claims by AM General
AM General, the manufacturer of theHumvee, sued Activision in 2017 for using the Humvee in multipleCall of Duty games.[116] A federal district judge gave Activision a summary motion in its favor to dismiss the case in April 2020, stating that the purpose of the use of the Humvee in the games, to provide military realism, was quite different from the trademark purpose that AM General had established, for selling to the military.[117]
References
^At half a billion sales, Call of Duty is as good as it’s ever been "The Call of Duty series has sold more than 500 million copies to date, publisher Activision-Blizzard told The Washington Post. This elevates it to among the best-selling game franchises in history alongside “Tetris” and the Pokémon franchise, and behind Nintendo’s Mario properties." October 30, 2024. Retrieved Oct 30, 2024.
