‘Call of Duty: World War 2’ update: Franchise’s going back to the roots is actually a step forward

“Call of Duty: World War 2” is now official, proving every rumour to be true. It is indeed the next game for the franchise, and Activision has released the first key art. But that’s about it. More details are expected on the Sledgehammer’s games next week.

A live stream has been scheduled on the official “Call of Duty” website on April 26 at 10 a.m. PT and 1 p.m. ET. To keep the fan excitement high, Sledgehammer boss Michael Condrey posted a video message on Twitter (shared below). Not much is known about the game though Activision has discussed about “traditional combat” in its last financial report. The game is expected to be released on PC, PS4 and Xbox One in early-November. In March, leaked images gave franchise fans the first look. Soldiers were seeing storming Omaha Beach on D-Day.

As the title “Call of Duty: World War 2” suggests, the game will be set in the 1940s. The WWII setting was instrumental in the franchise’s success in the early 2000s. The WWII setting was first leaked by The Family Video Gamers YouTube channel. The game is reportedly going back to its roots. Just as “Destiny 2’s” reveal was leaked before its official unveiling, the upcoming “Call of Duty” game may also see the same thing happening. “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare” underperformed and did not resonate with fans.

Now, taking the game back to its roots could be the winning strategy for the franchise. Thus, going back is actually a step forward for Activision and Sledgehammer Games. 2016’s “Infinite Warfare” was developed by Infinity Ward, 2015’s “Black Ops 3” by Treyarch. Sledgehammer, who is developing the 2017 entry, also did “Modern Warfare 3” and “Advanced Warfare.” After a sorry performance of “Infinite Warfare,” it will be interesting to see when fans flock back to the franchise because of the WWII setting.

Fans are eager to take a break from constant double-jumping, wall-running and all those futuristic stuff. They want certain features in the game that may or may not be included. Once such wish is a robust ranking system in “Call of Duty: World War 2,” similar to that of “Rainbow Six: Siege” and “Overwatch.” The already-present Prestige system only informs how much time a player has invested in the game but does not show an individual player’s skills. As every year, a “Call of Duty” game is released, Sledgehammer should release the 2017 game at once.

Meaningful characters in a strong single-player campaign, better character customisation, better spawn rate and a break from Weapon Variants are some of the other things that fans want in the game. Stay tuned on IBT AU for more updates on “Call of Duty: World War 2."