Call of Duty is a far different franchise than it was a decade ago. Once upon a time, Call of Duty served as historical escapism, a way to put players into the boots of an average soldier and live through some of World War II's greatest battles.
Fast-forward to 2016, and one of the franchise's most popular modes involves eating super-powered gumballs and ripping zombies to bits as a tentacle monster. "History" and "Call of Duty" are no longer even on the same spectrum. Each of the more recent games in the franchise have all taken players to the far future, a world where mechs, cyber soldiers and nanomachines reign supreme. It's a trend that has gone on for the last several years, and one that will continue this year with the recent reveal of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
All of that new tech and weaponry excites some players, no doubt. For others, those who learned to love the franchise early on and have since become tired of yearly installments that are each more ridiculous than the last, the seemingly never-ending focus on made-up weaponry and goofy (albeit fun) spin-off modes misses the entire point of the franchise.
I still remember storming Utah Beach as part of the D-Day invasion in Call of Duty 2. At the time, it was an experience like none other: the bullets whizzing overhead, the waves crashing against the landing craft, the yelling, the screaming ... It felt like I was there, in the mud, taking back Europe.
Before long came Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, bringing the franchise to a modern setting for the first time. Back in 2007, there were few other modern military shooters. It's no surprise, then, that it was with this entry that Call of Duty blossomed into the FPS juggernaut it is today. Countless gamers, me included, were introduced to the modern weapons of war, all bundled neatly in a captivating, story-driven campaign that, while obviously fictitious, was at least plausible on some level. "All Ghillied up," often regarded as one of the franchise's most iconic missions, was found in Modern Warfare, and remains exceptional even today.
Infinity Ward continued to push the envelope in subsequent Modern Warfare titles. The infamous "No Russian" mission in Modern Warfare 2 was controversial because it tackled international terrorism head-on, instead of tiptoeing around it. The games dealt with real issues and real places, albeit in a summer-blockbuster type of way.
Realism, or at least the semblance of it, was, for a long time, a staple of Call of Duty. Even as the franchise grew more outlandish with the introduction of the Black Ops storyline, it was still framed in real-world events like the Vietnam War and the Bay of Pigs invasion.
All of that largely ended with Black Ops II, which was both the franchise's most popular entry to date and the beginning of its decline.
The numbers speak volumes. According to VGChartz, Call of Duty sales took a significant dip in the years following the release of Black Ops II, an entry that shattered records in 2012. Ghosts sold poorly by Call of Duty's previous high standards, with Advanced Warfare faring much the same. Even Black Ops III failed to surpass Modern Warfare 3 or Black Ops II.
To summarize: in the six years following the release of the original Modern Warfare, Call of Duty's sales only continued to climb, with each entry selling more than the last. In the four years since Black Ops II, Call of Duty sales have continued to drop. It's worth noting that VGChartz isn't a perfect source of sales data by any means, but for a major release like Call of Duty, the numbers are relatively accurate.
So, what's the reason behind the trend? Why is Call of Duty not selling like it used to? Some of this likely stems from the franchise's yearly release schedule. As the years go on, with a new entry in the series arriving each and every year, more players begin to grow bored with the franchise.
I would propose yet another possible reason. The franchise's popularity only continued to grow during the period in which the games were either set during the past or in fictionalized modern times. The downturn in sales arrived with the more future-focused Ghosts, followed by the even further future of Advanced Warfare and then, the far, far future of Black Ops III. Could it be that more players enjoy the down-to-earth entries in the franchise over the increasingly far-fetched future scenarios of more recent games?
There's no real way to know, of course. Call of Duty still sells by the millions and brings in billions of dollars for Activision year after year. Infinite Warfare could become the franchise's best-selling game to date. However, going off the numbers we have now, that doesn't seem entirely likely.
What would happen if Call of Duty did return to a historical setting, or even current times in the form of something like Modern Warfare 4? Would the franchise once again see a spike in sales, restoring it to its former glory?
It would be a fascinating experiment, and one that will hopefully happen one day. With three separate development teams creating Call of Duty on a rotating three-year cycle, one would think that at least one developer might try something different. For four years, counting Call of Duty has taken us to the future. What would happen if it returned us to the past?
There is no shortage of historical wars from which the franchise could pull. Whether it be World War I or a full-blown Vietnam entry, the possibilities are endless. Even if Activision is reluctant to go that far back in time, a simple return to a modern setting could potentially do wonders for the franchise. The Modern Warfare trilogy proved so popular because it, despite being a little outlandish at times, was rooted in the real world. The games took players to real locations, from the streets of New York City to the favelas of Brazil, to the war-torn Middle East and the ruins of Chernobyl. Those places all have real history behind them, a history that game developers can play with to craft new tales of sacrifice and daring.
The release of a new Call of Duty used to be an event, a chance for players to once again step into the boots of an average soldier swept up in history. Though the franchise in the Modern Warfare series began to focus more and more on various special forces groups, each character still felt human. There were real stakes. Seeing the American countryside invaded by Russian forces in Modern Warfare 3 invoked real emotion. Watching a nuclear bomb go off in the original Modern Warfare meant something. The sense of drama found in "All Ghillied Up" only existed because the world, the environment, the danger, all felt real.
It remains to be seen if Call of Duty will ever truly return to an earlier time period for a new entry. That being said, fans of the franchise's younger days will at least have one thing to look forward to this year. As part of Infinite Warfare's "Legacy Edition," gamers will also receive a digital copy of Modern Warfare Remastered. At long last, the game that started the franchise's dramatic upward climb will be making a comeback. If it sells well, it's likely Activision will look to remaster other older entries in the series as well.
Judging from reactions on social media, fans seem just as excited about reliving the 2007 classic as they are for Infinite Warfare. If Activision was wise, it would take note of that fact.
