For as much as it seems like a no-brainer now, there's absolutely no underestimating how much of a risk moving Call of Duty into the present day was. With CoD 4, Activision and Infinity Ward completely broke away from the popular consensus of the time, daring to etch out its own place in the market place while leaving everyone else in the dust. But since then the franchise has been content to rest on its laurels. Although last year's Advanced Warfare sent the series into the future full throttle with the addition of an exo-suit, the shift in mechanics and tone would have felt much more progressive and daring if Titanfall hadn't done something similar only a few months prior. By returning to World War 2 Activision has the ability to break away from their complacent reputation that the company has amassed in the past few years. If the publisher wants to escape the crippling effects of franchise stagnation, which is only going to double now that the next generation is well under way, perhaps a well-polished, well-executed trip to a sub-genre everyone has abandoned and given up on would be enough to convince players that Call of Duty is series which refuses to go down without a fight. What do you think of where COD is in 2015, and what would you do to the core formula to make it interesting again? Let us know in the comments!
Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.