Call of Duty: WWII

Publisher: Activision · Studio: Sledgehammer Games · Creator: Glen Schofield, Michael Condrey

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Anecdote

With this entry, Sledgehammer Games delivered a symbolic return of the Call of Duty franchise to its historical roots, after several years devoted to science fiction and modern conflicts. Released in November 2017 under Activision, the title follows soldier Ronald "Red" Daniels of the 1st Infantry Division, nicknamed the Big Red One, from the landing at Omaha Beach through to the crossing of the Rhine. Co-directors Michael Condrey and Glen Schofield enlisted military advisors Hank Keirsey and Marty Morgan, as well as archives from the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, to faithfully reconstruct uniforms, weaponry, and the historical timeline. The eight-to-ten-hour campaign alternates between ambushes in the Hürtgen Forest, the liberation of Marigny in Normandy, and an infiltration of Aachen, with particular attention to squad camaraderie and the human dimension of combat. A shared-resource mechanic replaces the automatic health regeneration: soldiers supply ammunition, medkits, and enemy spotting to one another, creating a tactical interdependence unprecedented in the series. The multiplayer mode introduces the divisions system, which has the player choose a military specialty — infantry, armored, airborne, mountain — each with its signature equipment. The cooperative Zombies mode, titled The Final Reich, plunges players into a Bavarian village where Nazi scientist Peter Straub conducts occult experiments in an expressionist horror atmosphere. The original score by composer Wilbert Roget II, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, heightens the solemnity of key sequences. The title sold more than twenty million copies and marked the franchise's mainstream return to history. It remains a favored entry point for younger players into the memory of the Second World War.