With the Call of Duty series spanning two decades, fans have experienced some clear highs and lows. The golden era of the franchise began with the original Modern Warfare and ended with Modern Warfare 3, with the trilogy, World at War, and the first two Black Ops games serving as some of the very best entries in the franchise. After the lukewarm reception to Call of Duty: Ghosts, the controversial futuristic era began, which eventually gave way to the live service approach seen with the last few games. Within these different eras, Call of Duty games have felt quite similar to each other.

It takes one look at the futuristic era to see how overly similar Call of Duty titles could get. For example, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare felt almost the exact same as Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, with some of the only differences being that it was set further into the future and had less color. Similarly, in the modern era, Call of Duty: Vanguard feels a lot like Modern Warfare 2019 with a World War 2 skin, lacking a distinct identity of its own. Going forward, every developer should strive to make its Call of Duty title feel more unique through three hugely different settings and types of gameplay.

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Balancing The Past, Present, and Future With Call of Duty

Though controversial, the decision to take Call of Duty to the future was not a bad one. Instead, the issue came from the choice to stick to a futuristic setting for several years and several games. With the right approach, futuristic Call of Duty games could be successful, especially if they launch every several years to shake things up a bit.

When it comes to the developer that should lead the futuristic trend, Sledgehammer Games is undoubtedly the right choice. The studio has struggled greatly with both of its World War 2 games, but Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare felt like a passion project with a clear personality. Though it was not everyone’s cup of tea, the exosuit movement was polished and led to maps that felt nothing like what the series had seen before. Character customization was at its best, too, with players able to edit multiple parts of their character. Upgradeable killstreaks and futuristic weaponry also proved interesting.

With Treyarch’s next Call of Duty game not coming until 2024, and the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 seemingly set to be the first two-year Call of Duty game, a new futuristic CoD title from Sledgehammer would be years away. Further, the gap between each futuristic game would be quite large, giving fans time to miss exo gameplay and tire of the boots on the ground style. Speaking of Treyarch, though, the studio has consistently shown that it is at its best when embracing historical conflicts like the Cold War, so sticking to the past would be ideal. Zombies should also be exclusive to Treyarch Call of Duty games, with the studio's titles consistently receiving Zombies updates for years and years after they have been released.

As for Infinity Ward, it has once again found success with the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare subseries. While Call of Duty: Ghosts and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare had some strengths, most would agree that they were a step below the original Modern Warfare trilogy, so it makes sense for Infinity Ward to stick with what it knows best. Fortunately, given the success of the rebooted Modern Warfare universe, Infinity Ward will likely keep exploring it for some time. This is good news, especially for those who enjoy the slow-paced, methodical style of the new Modern Warfare games. Though it would get old fast if every Call of Duty played this way, having a more tactical game here and there is a good thing, as it once again caters to a different type of CoD fan.

If Sledgehammer handles futuristic Call of Duty titles, Treyarch covers real conflicts from the past, and Infinity Ward sticks with present day warfare, every entry could appeal to a different audience. This extends to gameplay, too, making the suggestion even more appealing. Sledgehammer’s games could introduce new gimmicks and exosuit-related abilities, Treyarch’s could provide fast-paced combat, specialists, and slower time-to-kills, and Infinity Ward’s could lean into tactical gameplay and a quick TTK. This way, every type of Call of Duty player is getting a game that suits their interests every few years, and each developer is leaning into its strengths instead of trying to mimic what its peers are doing. Dedicated Call of Duty fans likely have their preference when it comes to developers already, so having each studio fully embrace the distinct qualities of its games only makes sense.

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