During the month of May 2016 it was revealed that the next annual release of Activision’s blockbuster-hit shooter franchise, under the development of Infinity Ward, has been given the title Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Rather than going with Call Of Duty: Intergalactic Warfare, which sounds more in line with the game’s overall ethos, the name clearly contains as much relevance to the studio itself as it does the sheer amount of delicious irony in being a seemingly neverending series of yearly releases that we’ve all come to terms with. For better or for worse.
The game’s debut trailer was met with sheer negativity, even hostility, with fans of the series displaying a great deal of disgust for two key aspects of the game, which to some extent aren’t fully deserved. While tastes and preferences towards a game will always remain purely subjective, the feedback Infinite Warfare has received so far would appear to be a case of consumers not knowing what they want, disliking what they’ve been given, and rejecting the very thing they wanted for a great number of years.
This year’s Call Of Duty is said to take place in the distant future with environments being that of space, alternative planets, and space stations. By all accounts this seems like a very different route for the series giving more freedom and creativity to the development team. The problem with the game’s trailer however, is that none of the aforementioned aspects of the shooter seem to have much prominence, with everything that was shown being much akin to an Advanced Warfare sequel, give it or take a few mechs. While the general consensus among critics is that the gameplay is just more of the same and the visuals are outdated, the outcry does seem a bit overblown.
Call Of Duty is and will most likely always be Call Of Duty. As to what people were expecting from the game besides a new time period is a mystery in itself. The "problem" so to speak isn’t Call Of Duty being more of the same with a watered-down science-fiction setting; the issue is that players are becoming bored with what the series has to offer, and this isn’t something new to the game, the genre, nor gaming in general. Every dog has its day. And it’s easy to argue that since the release of Call Of Duty: Ghosts, this has been something that’s finally beginning to surface. Will the series fall-off and have loyal fans running through the trenches to the camps of DICE and EA? I highly doubt it. Despite the series no longer doing as well as it once did, sales numbers speak for themselves. Call of Duty notably has an audience who don’t pay any attention to the more cynical practices of the gaming industry, and this section of the audience will undoubtedly open their wallets up without hesitation, even for this.
For the rest, there’s just more choice and diversity in what other first-person-shooters are doing, meaning more and more fans of the series are now waking up to what those who don’t really like about the game have known all along: it’s more of the same. That being said however, more of the same isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s why the series did so well with earlier titles. There’s two important words here that players should do well to take note off: phase and stagnant. Age, interests, social circles, and choice will no doubt play a role in the relevancy of any given consumer product. Let’s talk pizza. If said person enjoys a pizza, and enjoys so much that all he or she consumes is pizza for the following week, regardless of a change in toppings that pizza isn’t going to look so attractive by the time the Sunday roast comes along.
You can iterate on that pizza all you like but eventually you’ll become sick of just how stagnant and cheesy it really is and you’ll want a change. It’s a phase. A short-term one, mind you, but it’s still just a phase. Spoiler alert to life: humans get bored of the same, old things. The most interesting part of the Infinite Warfare’s initial reveal however, isn’t one that comes from the game itself, but more so to the additional bonus that is strictly reserved to the special (and more expensive) editions of the game Interesting is the best word I could apply to this scenario since it’s just as evil as it is rewarding, one that’s also understandable from both sides of the fence.
Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is being bundled into the $80/£70 deluxe edition of Infinite Warfare and has been reworked, re-textured, retooled, and remastered more fitting to a present-day standard of visual acceptance. Given that the game is solely available to those who purchase Infinite Warfare and are willing to pay the additional fee, it’s understandable why some would feel disheartened by the company’s decision. After all, this is a remaster that fans of the series have been crying out for, for many, many years, and now the game is finally on its way some aren’t too pleased by its entry fee. What’s funny about this entire scenario is the hypocritical nature of people in general, let alone the players.
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Everybody disapproves of remasters until it’s the remaster they want. And now that Modern Warfare is actually available it’s apparently been handled inefficiently and is apparently bad for consumer trust and is downright disrespectful. Ironically, the common disliking for Call Of Duty seems to stem from an opinion that each new entry to the series is just a reskin—or if you prefer, a remaster—of the game which arrived prior. This actually is the case this time and despite tears for the cause in terms of having too many half-baked remasters and receiving the titles that players initially wanted, they’ve finally got what they deserve. A win-lose situation.
To some extent though I disagree with some of the backlash that Activision has received for both games. Would I prefer the standalone game being available separately? Yes, it’s arguably the best in the series. Do I understand the business intentions behind it of raking in more cash through a higher payment fee relative to the standalone game for a new entry in the series? Yes. But I, like many, would’ve probably done the same thing. It’s an evil genius perspective but it’s also understandable as to why Activision did it. And let’s face it, it’s also to gauge consumer interest and thus likely determine whether or not the publisher will do something similar with Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. I know I would. There’s an old saying here and it speaks volumes: vote with your wallet.
There’s one key thing in particular that consumers seem to be missing out here, most likely to blind faith, social networking platforms, and attention-seeking tendencies, and this is something that is by no means new to the gaming industry. Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s $80/£70 Deluxe Edition has been done many, many times before. Every time a new game releases, in fact. The one thing that sets this game apart however is that rather than receiving costumes, skins, maps, and unannounced content that’s not even in development along with no precise release date, this bonus comes in the form a full-fledged game. Now, given that fans have been clamouring for a Modern Warfare revamp for years, and in comparison to other titles which call for an additional fee granting access to what is best described as irrelevant bloatware, this offer is starting to sound pretty compelling.
Does it burn a hole in your chest knowing that the game you want is tied to one you’re unsure of? Even if the title you want spawned the series and revolutionised its genre? Well, that’ something to think about. Personally, I understand both sides of the argument and I too would much prefer the bonus game being available to purchase separately. Truth be told, I have about as much interest in Infinite Warfare as I do in watching another EA press conference that admires the physics of a tumbling skyscraper in an upcoming Battlefield game.
Nonetheless, I remain optimistic. Cynical too yes, because well, you know, it’s a video game and we’ve all seen how those usually turn out. But nonetheless, optimistic. When Activision present more of what the final game has to offer then people will know where they stand. As it stands right now, nobody knows anything about the game other than what was shown. Who says there’s not more to Infinite Warfare than that? For all anybody really knows there may be a giant-squid boss equipped with a mech-suit and bubble gun. And given the narrative of prior games leaning on the shoulder of non-memorable grunts by the name of Soap and Price, I’d rather take the squid. I see this additional pack-in of Modern Warfare as just a bonus, and one that makes other games look rather silly for what they usually offer…
…oh, how nice, a skin for my character which I can’t actually see because the game takes place in a first-person-perspective.