Call of Duty is a first-person and third-person shooter video game series franchise. The series began on the PC, and later expanded to consoles and handhelds. Several spin-off games have also been released. The earlier games in the series are set primarily in World War II; starting with Modern Warfare, set in modern times, the series has shifted focus away from World War II. Modern Warfare was followed by Modern Warfare 2, set in modern times, and Black Ops, set during the Cold War. Modern Warfare 3, also set in modern times (as the name suggests) was released on 8 November 2011.

The Call of Duty games are published and owned by Activision and published for Apple OS X by Aspyr Media. Most have been developed primarily by Infinity Ward and Treyarch; some games have been developed by Gray Matter Interactive, Spark Unlimited, Pi Studios, Amaze Entertainment, Rebellion Developments, and n-Space. The games use a variety of engines, including the id Tech 3, the Treyarch NGL, and the IW 5.0. Other products in the franchise include a line of action figures designed by Plan-B Toys, a card game created by Upper Deck, and a comic book mini-series published by WildStorm.

As of November 27, 2009, Call Of Duty games had sold 55 million copies for $3 billion in revenue.^[1] A 2010 Q3 earnings call from Activision confirmed that the eighth installment of the franchise – a FPS – was currently in development by Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software and due for release "during the back half of 2011". This has been revealed to be Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, with the latter developers co-developing multiplayer.^[2]

As of February 9, 2012 there are 40 million monthly active players across all of the Call of Duty titles, with 7 million Call of Duty: Elite users and 1.5 million paying annual members.^[3]

Main series [link]

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at:10/29/2003 text:"Call of Duty"
at:10/25/2005 text:"Call of Duty 2"
at:11/07/2006 text:"Call of Duty 3"
at:11/07/2007 text:"Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare"
at:11/11/2008 text:"Call of Duty: World at War"
at:11/10/2009 text:"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2"
at:11/09/2010 text:"Call of Duty: Black Ops"
at:11/08/2011 text:"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3"
at:11/13/2012 text:"Call of Duty: Black Ops II"

Original trilogy [link]

[edit] Call of Duty

Call of Duty is a video game based on the Quake III Arena engine (id Tech 3), and was released on October 29, 2003. The game was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The game simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II.^[4] Call of Duty was accompanied in September 2004 by an expansion pack, Call of Duty: United Offensive, which was also produced by Activision, but developed by Gray Matter Interactive with contributions from Pi Studios. The game follows the American paratroopers, British paratroopers and the Red army. The Mac OS X version of the game was ported by Aspyr Media. In late 2004, the N-Gage version was developed by Nokia and published by Activision. Other versions were released for PC, including Collector's Edition (with soundtrack and strategy guide), Game of the Year Edition (includes game updates), and the Deluxe Edition (which contains the United Offensive expansion and soundtrack; in Europe the soundtrack was not included). Since November 12, 2007, Call of Duty and its sequels have been available for purchase via Valve's content delivery platform, Steam.^[5]

[edit] Call of Duty 2

Call of Duty 2 is a first-person shooter video game and sequel to the critically acclaimed game Call of Duty. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The game is set during World War II and is experienced through the perspectives of soldiers in the Red Army, British Army and United States Army. It was released on October 25, 2005 for PC, June 13, 2006 for Mac OS X and November 15, 2005 for the Xbox 360. Other versions were made for mobile phones, Pocket PCs, and Smartphones.

[edit] Call of Duty 3

Call of Duty 3 is a World War II first-person shooter and the third installment in the Call of Duty video game series. Released on November 7, 2006, the game was developed by Treyarch, and was the first major installment in the Call of Duty series not to be developed by Infinity Ward. It was released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360.^[6] Call of Duty 3 follows the American, Canadian, British, French Resistance and Polish armies after D-Day in the Falaise Gap.

[edit] Modern Warfare series

[edit] Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the fourth installment of the main series, and was developed by Infinity Ward. It is the first game in the series not to be set during World War II, as well as the first to receive a Mature rating from the ESRB (except for the Nintendo DS version, which was rated Teen). The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 7, 2007. Download and retail versions for Mac OS X were released by Aspyr in September 2008. As of May 2009, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has sold over 13 million copies.^[7]

[edit] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2^[8] is the sixth installment of the main series. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision.^[9] Activision Blizzard officially announced Modern Warfare 2 on February 11, 2009.^[10][11] The game was released worldwide on November 10, 2009, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows.^[8] A Nintendo DS iteration of the game, titled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized, was released alongside the game and the Wii port of Call of Duty : Modern Warfare.^[12][13] Modern Warfare 2 is the direct sequel to Call of Duty 4 and continues the same storyline, taking place five years after the first game and featuring several returning characters including Captain Price and "Soap" MacTavish.^[14]

[edit] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a first-person shooter video game. It is the eighth installment of the Call of Duty series and the third installment of the Modern Warfare series. Due to a legal dispute between the game's publisher Activision and the former co-executives of Infinity Ward – which caused several lay-offs and departures within the company^[15] – Sledgehammer Games assisted in the development of the game, while Raven Software was brought in to make cosmetic changes to the menus of the game.^[16] The game was said to have been in development since only two weeks after the release of their previous game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.^[16] Sledgehammer was aiming for a "bug free" first outing in the Call of Duty franchise, and had also set a goal for Metacritic review scores above 95 percent.^[17] On May 12, 2011 on the official YouTube page for the Call of Duty franchise, four teasers were released entitled: America, England, France and Germany, indicating possible location for the game. The "e" in each name was stylised in the trailers with a Modern Warfare stylised number "3".

[edit] Black Ops series

[edit] Call of Duty: World at War

Call of Duty: World at War developed by Treyarch is the fifth installment of the main series, and returns to the World War II setting of earlier titles.^[18] On June 9, 2008, it was confirmed that the game would be titled Call of Duty: World at War and would be set in the Pacific theater and Eastern front of World War II. The game uses the same proprietary game engine as Call of Duty 4. Call of Duty: World at War was released for the PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 consoles and the Nintendo DS handheld in North America on November 11, 2008, and November 14, 2008 in Europe. As of June 2009, Call of Duty: World at War has sold over 11 million copies.^[19]

[edit] Call of Duty: Black Ops

Call of Duty: Black Ops^[20] is a 2010 first-person shooter video game^[21] developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for release on November 9, 2010.^[22] Officially announced on April 30, 2010, the game is the seventh installment of the Call of Duty series, the third game in the series to be developed by Treyarch, and the first game to take place during the Cold War and partially in the Vietnam War. It was initially only available for pre-order on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3; however, Activison later confirmed that it would also be released for the Nintendo Wii as well as the Nintendo DS.^[23]

[edit] Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick stated on November 8, 2011 that Call of Duty 9 (working title) was in development for a 2012 release.^[24]The game was confirmed by Activision during its fourth-quarter earnings call on February 9, 2012.^[25] On the 23rd April it was announced the new title will be announced 1st May during the basketball playoffs on TNT. ^[26] The game was revealed as Call of Duty: Black Ops II when the official site went live on May 1, 2012. ^[27][28] Black Ops II is the first game in the Call of Duty franchise to have a completely futuristic setting and feature future warfare technology.

Upcoming [link]

Before being switched to become the co-developers of Modern Warfare 3, Sledgehammer Games were already working on a Call of Duty game. This game was announced before Modern Warfare 3 and after Black Ops, however, no details were released. The game was said to be an action-adventure first-person shooter video game. A Call of Duty massively multiplayer online game was also rumored to be in development.^[29] Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg later stated that Modern Warfare 3 was not the same title as Sledgehammer Games' action-adventure Call of Duty game. When asked if the action-adventure game was also in development, Hirshberg then stated that the Sledgehammer team was fully focused on Modern Warfare 3 and that their own title had been put on hold.^[30]

Canceled Call of Duty titles [link]

Call of Duty: Devil's Brigade [link]

Call of Duty: Devil's Brigade was a canceled first-person shooter for the Xbox 360 which was developed by Underground Entertainment. The game was set in World War II mainly focusing on Italy.^[31]

Expansions [link]

[edit] Call of Duty: United Offensive

Call of Duty: United Offensive is an expansion pack for the popular first-person shooter computer game, Call of Duty and is set chiefly at Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.

Console and handheld (video) games [link]

[edit] Call of Duty: Finest Hour

Call of Duty: Finest Hour is the first console installment of Call of Duty, and was released on the Nintendo Game Cube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game include an online multiplayer mode which supports up to 32 players. It also includes new game modes.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a spin-off of Call of Duty 2 developed by Treyarch, and based on the American 1st Infantry Division's exploits during World War II. The game was released on Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.

[edit] Call of Duty: Roads to Victory

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is a PSP game that was based on Call of Duty 3. This game did not feature online multiplayer infrastructure.

[edit] Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts

Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts is the PlayStation 2 adaptation of Call of Duty: World at War. Developed by Rebellion Developments, Final Fronts features three campaigns involving the U.S. fighting in the Pacific theater and the Battle of the Bulge in Europe, as well as the British advancing on the Rhine River into Germany.

[edit] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized is the Nintendo DS companion game for Modern Warfare 2. Developed by n-Space, the game takes place in the same setting as the main console game, but follows a different storyline and cast of characters. Playing as the S.A.S. and the Marines in campaign mode, both forces are trying to find a nuclear bomb.

[edit] Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies 1 and 2

Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies is a first-person shooter video game developed by Ideaworks Game Studio, and published by Activision for the iPhone OS. It is a spin-off of the Call of Duty series, and based on the "Nazi Zombies" mode of Call of Duty: World at War. A sequel for the iPhone and iPod Touch includes Shi No Uma that was originally released on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

[edit] Call of Duty: The War Collection

Call of Duty: The War Collection contains a compilation of Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War. It was released on the Xbox 360.^[32]

Other media [link]

[edit] Modern Warfare 2: Ghost

Modern Warfare 2: Ghost is a six-part comic book mini-series based on a character in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Announced by Robert Bowling on August 17, 2009, the storyline focuses on the backstory of the character Ghost, who appears in the video game. The series is published by WildStorm and the first issue was released on November 10, 2009, alongside the game.^[33]

Merchandise [link]

The Call of Duty Real-time Card Game was announced by card manufacturer Upper Deck.^[34]

In 2004, Activision, in cooperation with the companies Plan-B Toys and Radioactive Clown, released the "Call of Duty: Series 1" line of action figures, which included three American soldiers and three German soldiers from the World War II era.^[35] While the American G.I. action figure was made in 2004,^[36] Plan-B Toys later discontinued a controversial Nazi SS Guard action figure based on the Nazi Totenkopf officer seen in the Call of Duty video game.^[37]

In 2008, McFarlane Toys announced their partnership with Activision to produce action figures for the Call of Duty video game series. McFarlane Toys' first series of action figures were released in October 2008 and consists of four different figures: Marine with Flamethrower, Marine Infantry, British Special Ops, and Marine with Machine Gun.^[38]

Short Film [link]

Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish is a fan made prequel to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and was first shown at Call of Duty XP. The video was produced by We Can Pretend, visual effects by The Junction, and was endorsed by Activision. The video tells the story of how Captain Price ended up in a Russian Gulag set before the events of Modern Warfare 2.

The first film, Find Makarov, was a non-canon fan made film. The video was well received by not just fans, but Activision also. Activision contacted We Can Pretend about the video and ended up producing a second short film, Operation Kingfish.^[39]

Call of Duty Endowment [link]

The Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) is a non-profit foundation created by Activision Blizzard to help find employment for U.S. military veterans. The foundation will contribute $1 million to several veteran support organizations. The first donation, consisting of $125,000, was presented to the Paralyzed Veterans of America.^[40]

On March 30, 2010, CODE presented 3,000 copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, approximately $180,000 in value, to the U.S. Navy. The copies were delivered to over 300 ships and submarines as well as Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities worldwide.^[41]

References [link]

External links [link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Call of Duty

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Call of Duty

• Call of Duty official website
• Call of Duty wiki