Video game franchise
Video game series
Call of Duty is a video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in🤑 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-off and handheld games🤑 were made by other developers. The most recent title, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, was released on November 10,🤑 2024.
The series originally focused on the World War II setting, with Infinity Ward developing Call of Duty (2003) and Call🤑 of Duty 2 (2005) and Treyarch developing Call of Duty 3 (2006). Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) introduced🤑 a modern setting, and proved to be the breakthrough title for the series, creating the Modern Warfare sub-series; a Modern🤑 Warfare remastered version released in 2024. Two other entries, Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and Modern Warfare 3 (2011), were made.🤑 The sub-series received a reboot with Modern Warfare in 2024, Modern Warfare II in 2024, and Modern Warfare III in🤑 2024. Infinity Ward have also developed two games outside of the Modern Warfare sub-series, Ghosts (2013) and Infinite Warfare (2024).
Treyarch🤑 made one last World War II-based game, World at War (2008), before releasing Black Ops (2010) and subsequently creating the🤑 Black Ops sub-series. Four other entries, Black Ops II (2012), Black Ops III (2024), Black Ops 4 (2024), and Cold🤑 War (2024) were made, the latter in conjunction with Raven Software. Sledgehammer Games, who were co-developers for Modern Warfare 3,🤑 have also developed three titles, Advanced Warfare (2014), Call of Duty: WWII (2024), and Vanguard (2024). They are also the🤑 lead developer for Modern Warfare III (2024), the third entry in the Modern Warfare reboot sub-series.
As of April 2024 ,🤑 Call of Duty has sold over 400 million copies.[1] The series is verified by the Guinness World Records as the🤑 best-selling first-person shooter game series. It is also the most successful video game franchise created in the United States and🤑 the fourth best-selling video game franchise of all time. Other products in the franchise include a line of action figures🤑 designed by Plan B Toys, a card game created by Upper Deck Company, Mega Bloks sets by Mega Brands, and🤑 a comic book miniseries published by WildStorm Productions, and a feature film in development.
Main series
A variation of the original Call🤑 of Duty logo font used by the franchise until 2024
World War II games
Call of Duty
Call of Duty is a first-person🤑 shooter video game based on 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.[68] An🤑 expansion pack, Call of Duty: United Offensive, was developed by Gray Matter Studios with contributions from Pi Studios and produced🤑 by Activision. The game follows American and 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). On September 22, 2006, Call of Duty, United Offensive, and Call of Duty 2 were released together as Call🤑 of Duty: War Chest for PC.[69] Since November 12, 2007, Call of Duty games have been available for purchase via🤑 Valve's content delivery platform Steam.[70]
Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 2 is a first-person shooter video game and the sequel🤑 to 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 Windows, November 15, 2005, for the Xbox 360, and June 13, 2006,🤑 for Mac OS X. Other versions were made for mobile phones, Pocket PCs, and smartphones.
Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty🤑 3 is a 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 also the first not to be released on the PC platform.🤑 It was released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360.[71]
Call of Duty: WWII
Call of Duty: WWII🤑 is the fourteenth game in the series and was developed by Sledgehammer Games.[72] It was released worldwide on November 3,🤑 2024, for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[73] The game is set in the European theatre, and is centered around🤑 a squad in the 1st Infantry Division, following their battles on the Western Front, and set mainly in the historical🤑 events of Operation Overlord.
Call of Duty: Vanguard
Call of Duty: Vanguard is the eighteenth game in the series and is developed🤑 by Sledgehammer Games, with Treyarch developing the game's Zombies mode. It was released on November 5, 2024, for PC, PlayStation🤑 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The story depicts the birth of special forces to face an🤑 emerging threat at the end of the war during various theaters of World War II.
Modern Warfare series
Call of Duty 4:🤑 Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the fourth installment of the main series and was the first game🤑 in the Modern Warfare timeline. Developed by Infinity Ward, it is the first game in the series not to be🤑 set during World War II. The game was released for 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.[74]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
Call of Duty:🤑 Modern Warfare Remastered is a remastered version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare that was released alongside the Legacy🤑 Edition, Legacy Pro Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare on November 4, 2024, for PlayStation🤑 4, Xbox One, and PC.[75] It was later released standalone on June 27, 2024, for PS4, and July 27, 2024,🤑 for Xbox One and PC.[76] The game was developed by Raven Software and executive produced by Infinity Ward.[77][78]
Call of Duty:🤑 Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the sixth installment of the main series, and the second game🤑 in the Modern Warfare timeline. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision.[79][80] Activision Blizzard announced Modern Warfare🤑 2 on February 11, 2009.[81][82] The game was released worldwide on November 10, 2009, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3🤑 and Windows.[79] 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.[83][84] 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.[85]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
A visually updated version of the original,🤑 it was released for PlayStation 4 on March 31, 2024, and for Xbox One and Windows on April 30, 2024.🤑 It only includes the campaign mode with no multiplayer and Spec Ops components. When purchased, players can unlock various cosmetic🤑 items in 2024's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and 2024's Call of Duty: Warzone.
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 arc. 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[86] – 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.[87] The game was said to have been in development since only two weeks after the release of🤑 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.[87] 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.[88]
The game continues the story from the🤑 point at which it ended in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and continues the fictional battle story between🤑 the United States and Russia, which evolves into the Third World War between NATO allied nations and ultra-nationalist Russia.
Call of🤑 Duty: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the sixteenth entry in the Call of Duty series and is also🤑 a reboot of the Modern Warfare series. The story has been described to be darker and more realistic than previous🤑 Call of Duty games. It is set in the Black Ops timeline,[89] separate from the other Modern Warfare games (however,🤑 characters such as Captain Price and other fan favorites from the series make a return). The game was officially revealed🤑 on May 30, 2024, and released on October 25, 2024.
The second main battle royale installment in the Call of Duty🤑 franchise, titled Call of Duty: Warzone, was released in March 2024, as a part of the Call of Duty: Modern🤑 Warfare video game but does not require purchase of it.[90] The title exceeded 50 million players in the first month🤑 after release.[91]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Activision confirmed a sequel to the 2024 Modern Warfare game on February 11, 2024,🤑 to be developed by Infinity Ward.[92] The game's logo and title was revealed on April 28, 2024.[93] During Activision's 'Call🤑 of Duty NEXT' broadcast on September 15, 2024, the game's multiplayer was fully revealed, along with details on the next🤑 version of Warzone and a mobile version of Warzone, both set to launch slightly after Modern Warfare II's launch.[94][95]
Call of🤑 Duty: Modern Warfare II was released on October 28, with Campaign Early Access for pre-orders on October 20.[96]
Call of Duty:🤑 Modern Warfare III
Black Ops story arc
Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty: World at War, developed by Treyarch, is🤑 the fifth installment of the main series. Released after Modern Warfare, it returns to the World War II setting of🤑 earlier titles,[97] featuring the Pacific theater and Eastern front. The game uses the same proprietary game engine as Call of🤑 Duty 4 and was released for the PC, PlayStation 3, 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.[98] It acts as a prologue for Treyarch's next game, Black Ops, which🤑 is in the same universe, sharing characters and story references.[99][100]
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops is the🤑 seventh installment in the series,[101][102][103] the third developed by Treyarch and was published by Activision for release on November 9,🤑 2010. It is the first game in the series to take place during the Cold War and also takes place🤑 partially in the Vietnam War. It was initially available for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 and was later released🤑 for the Wii as well as the Nintendo DS.[104]
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Call of Duty: Black Ops II is🤑 the ninth main installment in the series, developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. The game was revealed on May🤑 1, 2012.[105][106] It was the first game in the series to feature future warfare technology, and the campaign features multiple🤑 branching storylines driven by player choice and multiple endings. It was later released on November 12, 2012.
Call of Duty: Black🤑 Ops III
Call of Duty: Black Ops III is the twelfth main installment in the series, developed by Treyarch and published🤑 by Activision. The game was released on November 6, 2024.[107]
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4🤑 is the fifteenth main installment in the series. It was developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. The game was🤑 released on October 12, 2024.[108] It was the first featured Call of Duty game to forgo a single-player campaign game🤑 mode, focusing only at the multiplayer aspect of the game. The game also introduced an entirely new battle royale game🤑 mode, called Blackout, in addition to multiplayer and zombies co-op mode.[109]
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Call of Duty: Black🤑 Ops Cold War is the seventeenth main installment in the series. It was developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, and🤑 published by Activision. The game was released on November 13, 2024. Set during the 1980s and focusing on Soviet and🤑 American espionage during the Cold War, the game is chronologically set between Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops🤑 II.[110]
Standalone games
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Call of Duty: Ghosts is the tenth main installment in the series and was developed by🤑 Infinity Ward. The game was released on November 5, 2013.[111][112] It was the first game to be developed for eighth-gen🤑 consoles such as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[113]
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the eleventh main🤑 installment in the series, developed by Sledgehammer Games with assistance from Raven Software and High Moon Studios. It was released🤑 in November 2014.[114] The game was the first game in the series to feature advanced movements, such as double jump🤑 and boost slide.[115]
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is the thirteenth main installment in the series, developed🤑 by Infinity Ward, and was published by Activision. The game was released on November 4, 2024.[116]
Primary developer rotation
In 2006, Treyarch🤑 released Call of Duty 3, their first Call of Duty game of the main series. Treyarch and Infinity Ward signed🤑 a contract stating that the producer of each upcoming title in the series would alternate between the two companies. In🤑 2010, Sledgehammer Games announced they were working on a main series title for the franchise. This game was postponed in🤑 order to help Infinity Ward produce Modern Warfare 3. In 2014, it was confirmed that Sledgehammer Games would produce the🤑 2014 title, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and the studios would begin a three-year rotation.[117][118] After Sledgehammer developed Call of🤑 Duty: WWII (2024), they began developing a new Call of Duty entry alongside Raven Software due for release in 2024.🤑 However, there were conflicts of interest between the two, which resulted in Treyarch taking over control of the project in🤑 order to speed up the development process.[119]
Other games
Console titles
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is the first🤑 console installment of Call of Duty and was released on the GameCube, 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.
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 GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.
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, the Battle of the Bulge, and the🤑 British advancing on the Rhine River into Germany.
Call of Duty: The War Collection
Call of Duty: The War Collection is a🤑 boxed set compilation of Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War. It🤑 was released for the Xbox 360 on June 1, 2010.[120]
Handheld titles
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory
Call of Duty: Roads to🤑 Victory is a PSP game which is a portable spin-off of Call of Duty 3.[121]
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.
Call of🤑 Duty: Black Ops DS
Call of Duty: Black Ops DS is the Nintendo DS companion game for Black Ops. 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.[122][123]
Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified
Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified is a PlayStation Vita Call of Duty🤑 game.[124]
Free-to-play titles
Call of Duty Online
Call of Duty Online was announced by Activision when the company first stated their interest in🤑 a Massively multiplayer online game (MMO) in early 2011. By then, it had been in development for two years. Call🤑 of Duty Online is free-to-play for mainland China and is hosted by Tencent, since Activision had lost the publishing rights🤑 to Call of Duty and several other franchises in China due to a legal dispute on most of the gaming🤑 consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii).
Call of Duty: Warzone
Call of Duty: Warzone was an online battle royale game developed🤑 by Infinity Ward and Raven Software and released by Activision. The game was released on March 10, 2024, as part🤑 of Modern Warfare (2024), but was able to be downloaded without ownership of the former title. The game shared progression🤑 with, and used gameplay items from Modern Warfare, as well as Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard following several integration🤑 updates to incorporate content from these titles. On September 21, 2024, the servers for Warzone were shut down to focus🤑 development on Warzone 2.0.[125] Activision has announced that a mobile version of Warzone was in development, slated to be released🤑 sometime in the future.[126]
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is the sequel to Warzone, also developed by🤑 Infinity Ward and Raven Software. The game was released on November 16, 2024, as part of a content update for🤑 Modern Warfare II. Like the previous iteration, Warzone 2.0 is available for separate download without requiring ownership of Modern Warfare🤑 II. In addition to sharing progression with the former title, the game is also linked to Warzone Mobile, a standalone🤑 mobile game that incorporates Modern Warfare II gameplay items while played on a separate map.
Mobile titles
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare🤑 2: Force Recon
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Force Recon is the J2ME mobile version of Modern Warfare 2. Developed🤑 by Glu Mobile, the game takes place in Mexico five years after Modern Warfare.
Call of Duty: World at War –🤑 Zombies and Call of Duty: Black Ops – Zombies
Call of Duty: World at War – Zombies is a first-person shooter🤑 video game developed by Ideaworks Game Studio and published by Activision for iOS. 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, Call🤑 of Duty: Black Ops – Zombies was released for Android and iOS.
Call of Duty: Strike Team
Call of Duty: Strike Team🤑 is a first and third-person shooter game developed by The Blast Furnace and published by Activision for iOS and Android.🤑 The game is set in 2024 with players tasked with leading a U.S. Joint Special Operations Team after the country🤑 "finds themselves in a war with an unknown enemy".
Call of Duty: Heroes
Call of Duty: Heroes was a real-time strategy game🤑 developed by Faceroll Games and published by Activision for Android and iOS.
Call of Duty: Mobile
Call of Duty: Mobile is the🤑 franchise's mobile title for iOS and Android developed by Tencent Games' TiMi Studios. It was released on October 1, 2024.[127]🤑 Previously, it was first announced on March 18, 2024, at the year's Game Developers Conference.[128] As of October 4, 2024,🤑 the game has surpassed over 35 million downloads worldwide.[129]
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is a mobile🤑 battle royale game developed by Digital Legends Entertainment in partnership with other Activision studios. The game shares progression with Modern🤑 Warfare II, the upcoming Modern Warfare III and Warzone 2.0 and uses their gameplay items but is played on separate🤑 maps. The game was released on November 30, 2024 in Australia and March 24, 2024 in Chile, Norway and Sweden,🤑 currently in the "Limited Release" phase, with the first map being a ported version of Verdansk, which first appeared in🤑 the original Warzone. It will be planned to release worldwide in early 2024.
Canceled titles
Call of Duty: Combined Forces
Call of Duty:🤑 Combined Forces was a proposed concept draft originally intended to be a sequel to Call of Duty: Finest Hour. However,🤑 due to multiple legal issues that arose between Spark Unlimited, Electronic Arts, and Activision as well as other production problems,🤑 the game's draft and scripts never came to be. The game was projected to costR$10.5 million to produce after Finest🤑 Hour was complete. Eventually, Activision deemed the pitch as more of an expansion than something entirely new, causing the company🤑 to reject the proposal and end their contract with Spark Unlimited shortly after.[130]
Call of Duty: Devil's Brigade
Call of Duty: Devil's🤑 Brigade was a canceled first-person shooter for the Xbox 360 developed by Underground Entertainment. The game was set in World🤑 War II, mainly focusing on the Italian Campaign.[131]
Call of Duty: Vietnam
Call of Duty: Vietnam was a third-person shooter set during🤑 the Vietnam War. It was in development for at least six to eight months at Sledgehammer Games. The development was🤑 stopped because Infinity Ward needed help finishing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 due to the employee firings and departures🤑 in 2010.[132][133]
Call of Duty: Roman Wars
Call of Duty: Roman Wars was a canceled third and first-person video game in the🤑 Call of Duty franchise. The game was set in ancient Rome, and allowed players to take control of famous historical🤑 figure Julius Caesar, along with "low grunts", and officers of the Tenth Legion. It was eventually canceled, as Activision had🤑 uncertainties about branding it as a Call of Duty title.[134]
Other media
Comic books
Modern Warfare 2: Ghost is a six-part comic book🤑 mini-series based on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The storyline focuses on the backstory of the character Simon "Ghost"🤑 Riley. The series is published by WildStorm and the first issue was released on November 10, 2009, alongside the game.[135]
Call🤑 of Duty: Zombies is a six-part comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. The series ties in with the🤑 Zombies game mode of the Black Ops subseries developed by Treyarch. The series is co-written by Justin Jordan, Treyarch's Jason🤑 Blundell and Craig Houston. The series is illustrated by artist Jonathan Wayshak and colorist Dan Jackson. The cover arts are🤑 handled by artist Simon Bisley. The series was announced by Treyarch in July 2024, with the first issue slated for🤑 release in October. After a slight delay, the first issue was released on October 26, 2024. The five other issues🤑 were released in the months of 2024: issue #2 released on January 11, 2024; issue #3 released on March 1,🤑 2024; issue #4 released on April 19, 2024; issue #5 released on June 21, 2024; and issue #6 released on🤑 August 23, 2024. A paperback edition containing all six issues was released on November 15, 2024.[136]
Merchandise
The Call of Duty Real-Time🤑 Card Game was announced by card manufacturer Upper Deck.[137]
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.[138] While the American G.I. action figure was made in 2004,[139] Plan-B Toys later🤑 discontinued a controversial Nazi SS Guard action figure based on the Nazi Totenkopf officer seen in Call of Duty.[140]
In 2008,🤑 McFarlane Toys announced their partnership with Activision to produce action figures for the Call of Duty 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.[141]
Short films
Find Makarov is a fan-made film that was well received by Call🤑 of Duty publishers, Activision, who contacted We Can Pretend and subsequently produced a second short film, Operation Kingfish.[142]
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, with 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.
Films
On November 6, 2024, upon the release of Black Ops III, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Activision Blizzard🤑 launched a production studio called Activision Blizzard Studios and are planning a live action Call of Duty cinematic universe in🤑 2024.[143] On February 16, 2024, it was announced that Stefano Sollima will direct the film. Days later, he told Metro🤑 UK that he is considering having both Tom Hardy and Chris Pine as the leads for the film.[144][145] In an🤑 interview with FilmSlash, Sollima stated that the film will be a real soldier movie, not a war movie.[146] On November🤑 27, 2024, it was announced that Joe Robert Cole will be writing the sequel.[147] Filming on the first film was🤑 supposed to start filming in Spring 2024 for a 2024 or 2024 release.[148] In February 2024, Sollima revealed in an🤑 interview that the film is put on hold saying that it's not Activision's priority.[149]
Esports
The Call of Duty games were used🤑 in esports, starting in 2006, alongside the game released at the time, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.[150] Over the🤑 years, the series has extended with releases such as Call of Duty: World at War, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare🤑 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of🤑 Duty: Ghosts, and Call of Duty: Mobile. Games are played in leagues like Major League Gaming.
Players can compete in ladders🤑 or tournaments. The ladders are divided into several sub ladders such as the singles ladder, doubles ladder, team ladder (3v3🤑 – 6v6) and hardcore team ladder (3v3 – 6v6). The difference between the regular team ladder and the hardcore team🤑 ladder is the in-game settings and thus a rule differentiation. Winning ladder matches on a competitive website rewards the user🤑 with experience points which add up to give them an overall rank.[151]
The tournaments offered on these websites provide players with🤑 the opportunity to win cash prizes and trophies. The trophies are registered and saved on the player's profile if/when they🤑 win a tournament, and the prize money is deposited into his or her bank account. Call of Duty: Ghosts was🤑 the most competitively played game in 2014, with an average of 15,000 teams participating every season.[152]
For the past 6 seasons🤑 in competitive Call of Duty, Full Sail University has hosted a prize giveaway, givingR$2,500 to the top team each season.[153]🤑 The other ladders give out credits and medals registered on players' profiles. Tournaments hosted on the Call of Duty: Ghosts's🤑 Arena give cost from 15 to 30 credits, thus averaging at a cost of aboutR$18.75 per tournament. If the player🤑 competes with a team, the prize money is divided, and an equal cut is given to each player. Other tournaments🤑 with substantial prizes are hosted in specific cities and countries for LAN teams.
The biggest Call of Duty tournament hosted was🤑 Call of Duty: Experience 2011, a tournament that began when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was released.[154]
Playing Call of🤑 Duty competitively is most popular in Europe and North America, with users who participate in tournaments and ladder matches daily.[155]
Activision🤑 launched a 12 team Call of Duty League, following a similar city-based franchise structure as the Overwatch League, in January🤑 2024. The league's teams include those from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Florida, London, Minnesota, New York, Paris, Seattle and Toronto, and🤑 with two teams from Los Angeles, OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (now Los Angeles Thieves) and Los Angeles Guerrillas.[156]
Call of Duty🤑 Endowment
The Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) is a nonprofit foundation created by Activision Blizzard to help find employment for U.S.🤑 military veterans. The first donation, consisting ofR$125,000, was presented to the Paralyzed Veterans of America.[157]
Co-chairman General James L. Jones is🤑 a former U.S. National Security Advisor.[158] Founder Robert Kotick is the CEO of Activision Blizzard. Upon its founding in 2009,🤑 the organization announced a commitment to create thousands of career opportunities for veterans, including those returning from the Middle East.[159]🤑 Annual awards given by the endowment include the "Seal of Distinction", aR$30,000 initial grant given to selected veteran's service organizations.[160]🤑 In November 2014, the endowment launched the "Race to 1,000 Jobs" campaign to encourage gamers to donate money to and🤑 get involved in organizations that provide veterans with services.[161] As of 2024 , the Call of Duty Endowment had provided🤑 aroundR$12 million in grants to veterans' organizations in the United States, which has helped find jobs for 14,700 veterans.[162]
On March🤑 30, 2010, CODE presented 3,000 copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, approximatelyR$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.[163]
Controversies🤑 and legal matters
Modern Warfare 2 controversies
Modern Warfare 2 on release had a number of controversial matters. Most significantly, the level🤑 "No Russian" had the player experience a massacre of civilians at a Russian airport.
Fallout with Infinity Ward leadership
As Infinity Ward's🤑 founders Jason West and Vince Zampella started new contract negotiations to continue developing the Call of Duty Activision around 2007,🤑 a number of legal issues arose between Infinity Ward and Activision. Ultimately, West and Zampella were forced out of Infinity🤑 Ward, later forming Respawn Entertainment within Electronic Arts. West and Zampella, as well as several Infinity Ward staff that departed🤑 the studio alongside them to join Respawn, filed lawsuits against Activision related to unpaid royalties and bonuses.
Trademark infringement claims by🤑 AM General
AM General, the manufacturer of the Humvee, sued Activision in 2024 for using the Humvee in multiple Call of🤑 Duty games.[164] A federal district judge gave Activision a summary motion in its favor to dismiss the case in April🤑 2024, stating that the purpose of the use of the Humvee in the games, to provide military realism, was quite🤑 different from the trademark purpose that AM General had established, for selling to the military.[165]
