Call of Duty: WW2: Sledgehammer Games‘ announcement for this year’s addition to the Call of Duty franchise has been a much-awaited one. One of the most influential gaming series since its advent with 2003’s original, the more recent games have taken a turn in a different direction. While that does not usually have to mean a bad thing, that COD had begun laying an increasing amount of emphasis on futuristic space battles rather than what they used to be before has alienated some to an extent. Now that 2017 was to be Sledgehammer’s year, all hopes had fallen on the California-based fairly new studio.
Sledgehammer Games was formed in 2009 by the creators of Dead Space, and after working on 2011’s Modern Warfare as he secondary developers, the studio made their debut in Activision‘s series as the lead dev in 2014. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was released to both critical and commercial acclaim. So as the three-year developer cycle comes full circle once again in 2017, it is their time to shine once again.
The Story Before
Call of Duty began as a series of WW2 based games, but as ideas began to soar and things grew more sciency, they slowly becoming something else. Perhaps the creators had realised that a change was necessary, and that could be why there was so much talk about the series going back to a historical basis rather than the detached outlook the series had developed. Reports had speculated on two possible settings for what was then known simply as Call of Duty 2017– the war in Vietnam, and the greatest catastrophe to have hit the world during the modern era- the World War 2. The latter, however, has won out in terms of fan favour, mostly because of the fact that a new WW2-era COD game would mean a proper homage to what the franchise set out to be.
Moreover, a box-art leak via a YouTube channel that has now been taken down had strongly suggested that a World War 2 setting was imminent. Needless to say, the initial announcement of Call of Duty: WW2 left many fans thrilled in its wake.
Call of Duty: WW2 Release Date and Prices
Sledgehammer’s game Call of Duty: WW2 is currently scheduled for release on November 3, 2017. That makes November a very interesting month in terms of game releases. It will be playable on the Windows PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
Sledgehammer had been teasing the Call of Duty: WW2 release date since the end of 2016, slowly feeding the anticipation with a couple of media releases. Not only were the items displayed very vintage in nature (such as the countdown timer), but the M1911 pistol teaser was a clear indication that the series was headed to give a nod to its historic beginnings.
The new game and its title were officially announced in April this year on the game’s Twitter handle, with a worldwide reveal trailer following a few days later. Since then, a number of details about the upcoming game have come to the fore, but we will get to those later.
Moving on to the different editions and prices, there are four different editions of Call of Duty: WW2 that are listed on the official website-
- Call of Duty: WW2 Standard Edition- $59.99
- Call of Duty: WW2 Digital Standard Edition- $59.99
- Call of Duty: WW2 Digital Deluxe Edition- $99.99
- Call of Duty: WW2 Pro Edition- $99.99
Call of Duty: WW2- What it is about
Set during a war that set one of the most horrific examples in history yet, Call of Duty: WW2 focuses on the experiences of a combat unit making their way into Germany to face the enemy. This is how the official description for the new game accompanying the reveal trailer reads: “Over two years in the making, Sledgehammer Games delivers a gritty, personal experience in the setting of the largest worldwide conflict in history to a new gaming generation in Call of Duty: WWII. Play through the story of ordinary men turned soldiers in the 1st Infantry Division as they fight to preserve freedom in the face of tyranny. Call of Duty: WWII delivers fast-paced, boots-on-ground combat through iconic locations in the European Theater.”
The campaign is said to kick off during the D-Day landing in Normandy, moving on to feature some of the worst battles throughout the entirety of Europe. While most video games based on the Great Wars tend to whitewash the actual brutalities, Sledgehammer has promised that they will not go easy on the facts. So we will probably get to see a lot of Holocaust material in the upcoming game. To know more about Sledgehammer’s vision, watch the exclusive interview with Condrey and co-founder Glen Schofield below.
Call of Duty: WW2 Characters
There will be two main playable characters in Call of Duty: WW2– a couple of 1st Infantry soldiers named Red Daniels and Zussman, but Sledgehammer, speaking to GamesRadar, has promised varied representation in the new game to stay truthful to the global nature of the war. So besides Daniels and Zussman, players will also be able to step into the shoes of a Frenchwoman fighting for the Resistance. During the course of the game, players will come across a number of people from all related sides, including a German family, a British officer, and an African-American soldier. “The Allied force was a global force, the German force, the Axis force, was more than just the Nazis. It was Germans as well as other nations involved (…) This isn’t a story of an American squad – this is a global cast and so you’ll see some really powerful performances on both sides of the war,” said Sledgehammer co-founder Michael Condrey.
Call of Duty: WW2 Beta Access
To hop on board the Call of Duty: WW2 Beta train and be among the first to experience the multiplayer, you will have to pre-order the game. The Call of Duty: WW2 pre-order information on the game’s official website reveals that there will be a private beta for the PS4 beginning on August 25. This exclusive beta will last until August 28, and will be followed by another for the PS4 and the Xbox One between September 1 and September 4. There is currently no information related to the Call of Duty: WW2 beta for the PC yet. Go here for more related information.
Call of Duty: WW2 Gameplay
With Sledgehammer’s upcoming entry, “boots on the ground combat” is what sets it apart from its most immediate predecessors to begin with. So as you leave behind the world of space battles and powerful exo-suits, you will be welcomed with real-world combat mechanics and weapons. While we had seen and heard bits and pieces about what to expect from the gameplay, E3 2017 brought forth a wealth of information about the same along with a brand new multiplayer trailer that you can watch above. A lucky few even got hand-on time with the Call of Duty: WW2‘s campaign and multiplayer modes too. Here is what we have learned so far about what’s new this time around (which is a lot).
Assistance: Sledgehammer is essentially reworking the mechanics with their new entry to reflect a change from the ground up. This is obviously a given considering the direction that Call of Duty: WW2 is taking, but it is great to see new systems that have more relevance. Condrey and his team understand the fact that nobody fights a war alone and have to rely on their squadmates to get through- squadmates with special skills who may die in the process- and that’s what they are bringing into the game with the new Assistance System.
With this system, the player will have to bank on his squadmates’ abilities of assistance while progressing through the game. This means that you may have help with everything including ammo sharing. But remember that when they die, their skills and assistance die with them, which holds true in the face of actual war.
No Unlimited Sprint: The feature that fans had come to associate with any of the more recent COD games is being done away with. When a fan asked the devs the question about whether Unlimited Sprint would be included in the new game, they answered with a simple “Nope.”
Nope
— Michael Condrey (@MichaelCondrey) May 24, 2017
Weapons: This is a game about the World War 2, and Sledgehammer has made it clear that we should expect nothing less from it. With the focus being big on authenticity and true-to-life representations (we know, we’ll get to the zombies), expect the Call of Duty: WW2 weapons to include a host of iconic rifles. These are a few that have been confirmed so far.
- Thompson Submachine Gun
- Kar98K
- M1918 BAR
- M1 Bazooka
- M1 Garand
- MG42
- M1903 Springfield
- Grease Gun
Expect a lot of other wartime weapons as well, including flamethrowers and bayonets.
Multiplayer: With Call of Duty: WW2‘s multiplayer mode, a lot of new additions are on the cards resulting from the boots on the ground combat system. The new game will have a new headquarters social space- the idea behind this one is to let your hair down and show off your achievements along with a bunch of friends when you are not engaged in combat. Secondly, the new Divisions system will let players take their pick from a number of available careers. Finally, the War Mode is a narrative-driven system that offers an immersive multiplayer war experience. You will be able to partake in some of the most notorious battles from the World War 2 across the continent. Watch the video at the end of this section to get acquainted with this one.
…and finally, Zombies: Yes, Sledgehammer’s game will also have a co-op zombie mode where you will get together with your friends to take down Nazi Zombies. Not much is known about this one, besides the fact that it will consist of an original story where the Third Reich tries to create an army of zombies to use as a weapon.
Call of Duty: WW2 Trailer
The first announcement trailer for Call of Duty: WW2 came out on April 26, and it showcased exactly what the developers were aiming at. The video (that you can watch below) weaves together pieces of actual in-game footage and character interactions to try and create the perfect reveal. So while there are the regular honour-laden wartime cliches like “duty first,” there is also a lot of desperation. Most of all, it shows off loads of combat aong with iconic weapons.
Wrap Up
Sledgehammer’s ambition with their upcoming COD title is admirable, so we hope they can pull this one off. Being one of the most hyped about COD entries in a long time, there will undoubtedly be more news about Call of Duty: WW2 as we get closer to its release date, and we can’t wait to know more about what comes out of the upcoming beta. Until then, stay tuned to our site for updates from the developers’ corner. And don’t forget to let us know what Call of Duty: WW2 means to you and what you want to see in it.
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