CALL OF DUTY: Origins of the “Medal of Honor Killer” | Development Lore | History of Call of Duty

EA’s single mistake led to the creation of one of the biggest video game franchises… but will a return to its roots reinvigorate the Call of Duty franchise, or has it worn out its welcome?

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Written by Ben Blumenthal

Animated by Edgar Nielsen:
https://www.youtube.com/user/funymony

Voiced by Octopimp:
https://www.youtube.com/user/MasterYorgi



Transcript:

In the late 90s and early 2000s, EA’s Medal of Honor series established itself as the dominant brand for World War 2 shooters with the critically lauded Allied Assault. But despite all its accolades, EA chose not to bring back 2015 Inc., the team responsible for their smash hit, and instead brought all development of the franchise in-house.

The developers wasted no time and made it known they were available to hire, and Activision quickly snapped up the ex-Allied Assault team.

Straight away, they went to work on a World War 2 first person shooter that had the official working title of “Medal of Honor Killer.” Early in development, the game featured a James Bond hero on a secret mission to stop the Nazis from building a nuke, but they scrapped that in favor of multiple, intertwined storylines which came to define the Call of Duty series.

Infinity Ward had also developed advanced AI, which had NPCs banking grenades, flanking enemies, and laying down cover fire -- all things that were typically scripted. Coupled with the iron sights mechanic, Infinity Ward crafted an immersive World War 2 shooter, but Activision was still uneasy.

Activision peppered the newly-minted studio with unecessary feedback and suggestions until finally, the IW heads convinced the execs to quit with the handholding. Yet, the game was still a hard sell on paper as a PC-only game. Thankfully, Activision UK saw a potential in the new franchise and backed it with the largest marketing campaign ever executed for a PC game.

Call of Duty went on to become Activision’s first global hit, transforming the publisher into a worthy contender to EA. But will a return to its World War 2 roots recapture the magic and nostalgia that kickstarted the franchise? Or will you get bodied by streamers that preordered for double-xp and bonus weapons?

Have fun!





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