Call of Duty 2017: 4 things you need to know
It appears that we're getting a Call of Duty shake up in 2017. During Activision's most recent round of earnings, Call of Duty was a fairly hot topic. Even though it's still one of the biggest gaming franchises around, Activision feels the need to get back to basics this year, and here are a few things you should know about this decision.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare didn't sell very well
Okay, so maybe saying that Infinite Warfare didn't sell very well is a bit of hyperbole, since Call of Duty was still the top gaming franchise in 2016. Still, Activision COO Thomas Tippl said in a conference call with investors (as relayed via GameSpot) that Infinite Warfare underperformed compared to the company's expectations. Indeed, a quick look at Steam's current player numbers shows that at the time of this writing, Black Ops III and Black Ops II are the only Call of Duty games breaking into the top 100.
Meanwhile, Infinite Warfare and its pack-in game, Modern Warfare Remastered, are nowhere to be found. While PC isn't the most popular platform for Call of Duty games, it does suggests that whatever interest players had in Infinite Warfare was fleeting. Tippl noted during the call that the space setting didn't resonate with some players, which leads into the next entry on our list.
Call of Duty will "return to its roots" in 2017
With Infinite Warfare's setting failing to capture the admiration of some players, it makes sense that Activision would want to rediscover what made Call of Duty popular in the first place. Developed by Sledgehammer Games, Tippl said that 2017's Call of Duty entry will feature "traditional combat," as well, but he failed to get anymore specific beyond that.
Anyone who has been around from the start will know that Call of Duty began as a series of World War II games. That theme continued until Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare brought the series into present day, and since then, the series has stepped further into the future with each new installment. With Infinite Warfare taking the series into space, it might be a good time to return to past or present warfare, especially considering the amount of hype Battlefield 1 – a game set during World War I – managed to generate in 2016.
Returning to its roots doesn't necessarily mean World War II
While a game set during World War II might be the logical conclusion when Tippl says the game will "return to its roots," there's a chance that isn't what he means at all. Instead, Tippl could simply be talking about the series moving away from a science fiction setting and instead focusing on combat and conflicts more centered in reality.
It's true that a new Call of Duty set during World War II is a possibility, but so is one set during World War I, the Vietnam War, or even one of the various conflicts in the Middle East. It's important to remember that the Call of Duty series soared to a new level of popularity with the introduction of Modern Warfare, since at that point a lot of gamers were growing weary of World War II as a setting. Activision may be hesitant to return to World War II after so many war games have used it as a backdrop for their narratives.
We'll find out what all of this means in spring
Generally speaking, Activision likes to officially reveal new Call of Duty games in the spring. With a few exceptions, Activision likes to reveal that a new Call of Duty game is in development when it shares financial earnings in February (just like it's doing here), and then announce the game in April or May. Those official reveals come as late as June every once in a while, but usually we get them earlier.
That means we don't have much longer to wait until we find out just what, exactly, Tippl is talking about when he says this new Call of Duty game will return to the series roots. Expect to see at least a trailer when Activison makes this new game official, which should answer most (if not all) of our early questions.
Wrap Up
With just a few words, Tippl has definitely piqued the interest of many Call of Duty fans. There's a lot of mystery surrounding 2017's Call of Duty title, and unfortunately, we're not going to find out more for a few months. We'll have that information for you here at SlashGear when Activision releases it, but in the meantime, head down to the comments section and give us your take on Tippl's statements!
SOURCE: Activison