With Vanguard released as the latest entry in the series, Call of Duty continues to prove why it's a titan of FPS games and one of the biggest franchises in gaming as a whole. As one of the most recognizable names in gaming, there aren't many even outside the gaming world who haven't heard of the series.
However, with such a long history, there is a lot more to the Call of Duty franchise than a famous name. For fans strongly invested in their history, there is a wealth of interesting and obscure information about these games.
Call Of Duty Was Originally Codenamed "MOH Killer"
Before Call of Duty rose to dominance, the name that dominated the first-person shooter genre was EA's Medal of Honor series. Back in the early 2000s, Infinity Ward was tasked with challenging this dominance with the development of an all-new FPS game, which they codenamed the "MOH killer" (per Gamespot).
Despite the confidence of the name they'd assigned the game, it took a while for the game to begin matching the popularity of its established opponent. Medal of Honor hasn't quite reached the same heights, however, with some of its newer video games receiving terrible reviews despite still being a popular name.
The First Call Of Duty Changed A Lot During Development
Things could so easily have been completely different for the series now if the game hadn't taken an early change of direction during the development stage. With the team eager to set the game apart from its counterpart, Medal of Honor, they chose a less stealth-based approach and instead chose to have a single hero character undertaking a secret mission to stop the Nazis.
However, outside influence from the developers at Spark Unlimited led to them taking a different approach with the narrative, showing the story through three separate perspectives including those of Soviet and British soldiers. This multiple-perspective narrative approach became key to the success of the series.
The Call Of Duty Games Feature Music From Oscar-Winning Composers
The music for Call of Duty and Call of Duty: Finest Hour was composed by Michael Giacchino, already an established figure in the world of video game music at the time. Giacchino went on to compose for an array of films and television shows, winning an Academy Award for the soundtrack of Disney Pixar's Up, arguably the best of all Pixar films.
This was just the start of the franchise's commitment to investing in the music of their games. As the series developed, it continued to feature some of the industry's best composers. Another Oscar-winner, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, composed and performed the theme music for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
Call Of Duty Is The Third Highest Grossing Video Game Franchise Of All Time
Though it's well known that Call of Duty is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, the scale of its success is staggering. With 18 main series titles up to this point, as well as countless spinoffs, mobile games, and even viral websites, there are very few titles that match the franchise for sheer scale.
In 2021, the series hit the incredible landmark of 400 million game sales, and it continues to grow with the release of Vanguard. The series also boasts over 100 million players globally.
There Are Three Separate Storylines Just For Zombies Mode
The game mode that began in Call of Duty: World at War and allowed players to test their skills against Nazi zombies with rapidly increasing difficulty now has three different storylines. The storyline began by World at War became the Aether Story, based on a conflict between two powerful ancient races and heavily featuring time travel and other fantastical elements.
In Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War this was developed into a new sequel storyline, known as Dark Aether Story, for which the zombies mode in Vanguard serves as a prequel. Finally, there is Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Chaos Story, a completely separate storyline based on real-world mythologies.
Call Of Duty: Vanguard's Arthur Kingsley Is Based On A Real Soldier
One of the four playable protagonists in the game, Arthur Kingsley's character was inspired by the story of Sergeant Sidney Cornell, a British parachutist who was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his part in the Normandy campaign in World War II. Sadly, Cornell died during Operation Varsity in 1945.
The attention to detail that went into Kingsley's character is evident, and part of the reason that he is Call of Duty: Vanguard's best character. Interestingly, Kingsley is promoted to Lieutenant and tells Richter as much in the final mission of the game, but the text at the start of the chapter still lists him as Sergeant.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Was Supposed To Be A Sledgehammer Game
Until 2020, the franchise kept a consistent production cycle that shifted the production of the games between three development studios, including Sledgehammer Games. As a result of this system, Sledgehammer led the production of 2020's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War until Activision announced that Treyarch would take over the title (per Kotaku).
This shift led to Sledgehammer instead developing Call of Duty: Vanguard, the newest title in the series. Without this significant change in their approach to creating the games, the 2021 title could have looked very different.
Call Of Duty Has A Ton Of Tie-in Comic Books
Since 2009's Modern Warfare: Ghost, the series has continually used comics as a means to expand on and increase hype for the game titles. A lot of these are must-reads in order to find out more about some of the games' leading characters, especially those in Zombies mode.
Two comic series were released in 2018 to tie in with the release of Black Ops 4, one directly relating to the operators in the game and one a sequel to the previous Zombies comic. A comic book tie-in for the newest title, Vanguard was announced and the first issue is available to read for free on the official Vanguard website.
Call Of Duty's Fictional Weapons Are Based On Real Research
Vanguard features an array of powerful guns based on some of the weapons from the World War II era and is another example of the series' commitment to weapons based on real research. Even in more futuristic titles such as Advanced Warfare, the team didn't just let their imaginations go wild with weapon designs.
Every weapon in the game has its basis in real-world research (per Business Insider) and is based on weapons technology that is being looked at and considered in the real world. As a result, weapons are one of the stronger points in Advanced Warfare.
The Ultimate Edition Of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 Featured A Jigsaw Puzzle
Whilst the series is known for some of its extravagant special editions, the Pro Mystery Box edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is perhaps the coolest special edition the series has had. Its items include a steelbook copy of the game, Zombies Heroes Figpins, three lithographs featuring moments from the game, and a 1,000-piece puzzle.
Whilst the Ultimate edition of the newest game in the series is more toned down, featuring exclusive online bonuses as well as other extras such as the game's Battle Pass Bundle, it's always exciting seeing what extras get offered with the more premium editions of the game.