Activision resisted taking Call of Duty franchise to modern times

Posted Oct 7th 2009 8:00AM by John Callaham
Filed under: FPS, Multiplayer, Modern Warfare 2

In hindsight it appears so obvious but a few years ago, Activision was "dead set" against having the Call of Duty franchise move out from its WWII shooter roots to the modern day era. In a article at Computer and Video Games (quoting a recent Official Playstation Magazine interview) Infinity Ward co-founder Vince Zampella admitted that if they had their way, Call of Duty 2 might have been their modern day shooter debut.

What happened? Zampella is quoted as saying that they went ahead with Activision's wishes, stating, " . . . we'd get some dev kits for consoles in exchange for doing a World War 2 game. We always wanted to be on consoles and Activision saw us as more of a PC developer." Even for Call of Duty 4, Zampella stated Activision originally wanted yet another WWII shooter, saying "They were doing market research to show us we were wrong the whole time." Of course, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare turned out to be the most successful game in the series so far and Modern Warfare 2 is looking like it will be even more successful. Which proves that following "market research" blindly won't lead you anywhere.

Gallery: Modern Warfare 2

Tags: activision, call-of-duty, call-of-duty-4, call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2, infinity-ward, modern-warfare-2

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hindsight

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hinesightPosted at 4:35PM on Oct 7th 2009 by ma11en

ThanksPosted at 6:17PM on Oct 7th 2009 by ma11en

Good read, I can't wait till MW2 is released! I've preordered prestige edition :P

Visit and discuss MW2 over on the Modern Warfare 2 Forums at: http://codnation.net Posted at 2:18PM on Oct 15th 2009 by codnation

I personally hope in vain for "Call of Duty The Big Push". Say, Passchendaele 1917.
It would be SO good: none of those annoying hightech scoped MGs, or gunships. But purely a matter of keeping your head down, feeling your way out of a trench amidst a constant barrage and clouds of gas. Dirt, dirt and dirt, a bluegrey sky, a cold drizzle. And feeling invincible if I have a Lewis gun.

I have longed for it ever since the beginning of "Medal of Honor" and the first "Call of Duty" on the Mac. Posted at 7:21AM on Oct 22nd 2009 by Steffen

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