The title of the latest Call of Duty game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, highlights a long-standing issue with the titles of the Call of Duty games. Namely, as the Call of Duty series has grown, its game titles have grown longer and more repetitive, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is a perfect example of this phenomenon. While the Call of Duty has certainly grown in other aspects, including gameplay, storytelling, and pay models, it seems as though the actual names of the Call of Duty games are stuck in the past and strictly married to its brand.
Since its premiere release in 2003, Call of Duty has needed to adapt to a constantly shifting market and find new ways to stay relevant to gamers. Call of Duty originally made a name for itself with some of the best (and worst) Call of Duty WW2 games out there, and began to branch out into different eras of warfare in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Since then, the series has explored the Pacific theater, future conflicts, and even space combat. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will be a direct sequel to 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, continuing the series' reboot of the original Modern Warfare games.
While the Call of Duty games have shifted many aspects of their games to stay current, one thing has stayed frustratingly stagnant: the games' titles. Every entry in the series includes the Call of Duty tag, followed by its own game title to signify a new Call of Duty game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will be the next Call of Duty game after Call of Duty: Vanguard, and it is exhausting just to type (and read) Call of Duty that many times in a row.
Call Of Duty Titles Are Becoming More Confusing & Unnecessary
The issue with Call of Duty titles is not only its brand redundancy, but its new direction with rebooting its former entries. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is a reboot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was a reboot of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and those are only the major entries in the series. This doesn't include any mobile versions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Force Recon, or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized (which launched with Modern Warfare 2, but contained gameplay from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and World at War).
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II needs features from the classic games just as much as new innovations if it is to keep the series moving forward. The game's developer, Infinity Ward, also developed the first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games, along with splashy new titles like Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone. With its lengthy track record of successful Call of Duty titles, it is likely that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will be an enthralling game in its own right, but if so, it will certainly be despite the mess of its nonsensical title methodology and not because of it.