Call of Duty: WWII is, arguably, the most interesting entry in the Call of Duty franchise since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came to market back in 2007. Since then the series has continued down the route of modern and future conflict, sometimes even dabbling in science fiction. So, for Activision to wind the clock back on its franchise and return to the series’ roots is certainly a bold move.
Developed by Sledgehammer Games, the folks responsible for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty: WWII should be a rather faithful take on the Second World War. While the Call of Duty series is known for its Hollywood production values, the first three Call of Duty games prided themselves on looking at historical events accurately and portraying the tales of real-life soldiers in the field.
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until Wednesday 26 April to find out if this will apply to the series' newest entry. Until then, here’s everything we currently know about Call of Duty: WWII.
Everything you need to know about Call of Duty: WWII
Call of Duty WWII will release this November
Activision has yet to officially announce a release date for Call of Duty: WWII. But if we're to go by Activision’s general cycle for these things, it will be landing some time towards the end of this year. Speaking in a video on Twitter to show just how keen the whole Sledgehammer Games team is about Call of Duty: WWII, studio co-founder Michael Condrey let slip that November would be the month the game ships.
Interestingly, this November window is also mentioned on a leaked piece of marketing found by CharlieIntel. Here it states that Call of Duty: WWII will ship on 3 November – fitting in rather nicely with everyone’s expectations and Condrey’s slip-up.
An early November window means that Activision has dodged the Star Wars Battlefront II bullet, which will be landing a week or two later, and therefore should give Call of Duty: WWII more of a fighting chance.
Call of Duty: WWII will have a beta, but only if you pre-order
In true Activision style, if you put your money where your mouth is, you can play Call of Duty: WWII before anyone else. Pre-ordering Call of Duty: WWII will bag you an invite to the “Private Beta” that will take place ahead of its release. No dates have been given for the beta just yet; expect it to take place around summertime, though – probably not long after the Destiny 2 beta.
Call of Duty: WWII’s single player and co-op tell different stories
It isn't yet clear exactly how the single player and co-op campaigns will work in Call of Duty: WWII, but going by leaked marketing materials it appears as if they’ve been kept separate yet again. Previously, Call of Duty allowed for co-op play through small, self-contained, objective-based levels. In Call of Duty: WWII, that could be different.
Stated in the leaked marketing copy, the co-op mode is listed as a “new and original story” that’s a “standalone game experience” – suggesting more than simply a bunch of co-op missions. Little is known about the single-player campaign too, but as it seems to cover the Normandy D-Day landings, it’s likely to follow the story of the war in Europe.
Call of Duty: WWII should, hopefully, be a respectful tale
It’s tempting to look at the Call of Duty franchise and think little more than “bros” being “bros” as you 360 no-scope someone from across the map. It isn't helped by Black Ops III’s marijuana weapons skins, nor the bombastic trailers and ad campaigns that have been used to advertise the Hollywood explosions since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
With Call of Duty: WWII, you have to hope that Activision and Sledgehammer Games are taking a more tactful approach to both the game’s storyline and gameplay, alongside its marketing push. So far, all the released artwork seems sombre and tasteful, something akin to Band of Brothers or The Pacific than The Expendables. It’s also worth remembering that the original Call of Duty games followed real people through real campaigns, showing the world that war isn’t the fun free-for-all that other shooters seemed to revel in.
— Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) April 21, 2017
Battlefield 1 did a reasonable job of showing the grimness of war while also wanting you to have a blast in it, but it also wasn’t very true-to-life. Sledgehammer Games has, according to studio co-founder Michael Condrey, been researching the Second World War for more than two and a half years whilst creating Call of Duty: WWII, so let’s hope the gravity of the situation has sunk in somewhat.