This article is about the 2024 video game. For other Call of Duty titles set in World War II, see 💳 Call of Duty § World War II games
2024 video game
2024 video game
Call of Duty: WWII is a 2024 first-person shooter 💳 game developed by Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision. It was released worldwide on November 3, 2024 for PlayStation 4, 💳 Windows and Xbox One. It is the fourteenth main installment in the Call of Duty series and the first title 💳 in the series to be set primarily during World War II since Call of Duty: World at War in 2008.
The 💳 game's campaign 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. The player controls Ronald 💳 "Red" Daniels, who has squadmates who can supply the player with extra ammunition, health, or grenades as well as a 💳 targeted grenade and target spotting; none of these are automatically replenished in the campaign. The multiplayer mode features map locations 💳 not seen in the campaign. The mode also features the new Divisions system, replacing the create-a-class system that previous games 💳 in the series used. A social hub, named Headquarters, was also implemented into the game, allowing for players to interact 💳 with each other.
Sledgehammer Games were interested in bringing the series back to World War II after developing their previous title, 💳 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014), which featured advanced movements and futuristic warfare technology. Studio head Michael Condrey stated that 💳 he was unsure if a World War II game would feel right after creating a futuristic title like Advanced Warfare, 💳 but the developers ultimately decided to create a game in this time period. They also chose to include atrocities and 💳 Nazi concentration camps in the campaign mode to deliver an authentic war story.
Upon release, the game received generally positive reviews 💳 from critics. Praise was given towards its story, the changes to combat, multiplayer modes, and visuals. However, it was criticized 💳 for the single-player's lack of innovation and similarity to past games set in the same era. The game was a 💳 commercial success, generatingR$500 million of revenue within just three days of its release. It became the highest-grossing console game of 💳 2024 in North America, and generated overR$1 billion in worldwide revenue by the end of the year.
Gameplay [ edit ]
Call 💳 of Duty: WWII is a first-person shooter game. Not similar to its recent predecessors, it removes the advanced system of 💳 movement present in the two previous Call of Duty titles, which included double jumping and wall running. Instead, it features 💳 a return of traditional movement to the series, taking it back to an original "boots on the ground" (which refers 💳 to non-aerial ground combat) gameplay style. The game features an unlimited sprint mechanic, seen in the previous two titles.[1] Instead 💳 of a "slide" movement mechanic, which allowed players to slide quickly on the ground, WWII features a "hit-the-deck" mechanic that 💳 allows the player to leap forward and throw themselves on the ground in order to get to cover quickly, similarly 💳 to a previous mechanic known as "dolphin dive" in Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black 💳 Ops II.[2]
Campaign [ edit ]
WWII is the first title since the original game and Call of Duty 2: Big Red 💳 One not to feature health regeneration in the campaign. Instead, players must find health packs scattered throughout levels, or rely 💳 on their medic squadmate to provide health packs. Other members of the player's squad can provide ammunition, grenades, call in 💳 mortar strikes, or spot enemies and reveal their position in form of silhouettes.[3] In certain sections of the game, enemy 💳 soldiers in the campaign can be captured, and wounded allies can be dragged to cover. In some parts of the 💳 campaign, players are able to control vehicles.[4]
Multiplayer [ edit ]
The multiplayer mode for Call of Duty: WWII was revealed on 💳 E3 2024, which took place from June 13–15.[5] Sledgehammer Games announced features such as the new headquarters social space, divisions, 💳 war mode and the return to "boots-on-the-ground" gameplay. Players who pre-order the game were invited to a closed beta, which 💳 was released initially for the PlayStation 4, and later released on other platforms.[6]
In online multiplayer matches, players are randomly assigned 💳 either to Allies or Axis side. With regards to playing as the latter, Glen Schofield, co-founder and co-studio head at 💳 Sledgehammer, said "We also make a distinction between the SS and the German regular army", clarifying "The big distinction that 💳 Germans still make today is that between the German military and the Nazis. We made sure we made that distinction 💳 in the game, that the Germans were doing their duty".[7][8] Jörg Friedrich, one of the developers of Through the Darkest 💳 of Times, criticized this choice for promulgating the "myth of the clean Wehrmacht", a false revisionist claim that regular Wehrmacht 💳 forces, unlike the Waffen-SS, were not involved in war crimes or culpable for the Holocaust.[9][10] Other critics have argued that 💳 the distinction between Wehrmacht soldiers and the Nazi party is not meaningful when the former's actions helped advance the latter's 💳 genocidal activities. They also argue that play as these factions gradually numbs the audience's reaction to and normalizes an otherwise 💳 abhorrent group.[11][12]
Instead of the usual create-a-class system, WWII features Divisions. Players can choose one out of five (later eight) divisions, 💳 each with their own different basic combat training, division training and weapon skills. Players need to progress through ranks in 💳 divisions in order to use additional perks, in addition to a global perk system named Basic Training. The divisions featured 💳 in the game are:
Infantry: The most versatile division in the game, it is equipped for mid to long range combat. 💳 The special skill of this division is the bayonet charge, which can lead to brutal melee combat.
Airborne: This division makes 💳 players move fast while remaining quiet. Players in this division can attach suppressors to sub-machine guns at any time during 💳 combat which allows for more stealth based gameplay style.
Armored: This division has the heaviest firepower, being able to mount light 💳 machine guns while taking less fire and explosive damage.
Mountain: This division focuses on long range combat, making sniper rifles more 💳 precise with aim assist and improving the aim through scope by blocking out surroundings from player's view.
Expeditionary: Shotguns used by 💳 players in this division have incendiary rounds that burn enemies to death. This division can also replenish their lethal and 💳 tactical grenades through killing enemies.
Resistance: Added in January 2024 as part of an update, this division allows players to use 💳 tactical knife in combination with their pistol, focusing on stealthy close-quarter combat. This division also can sense nearby enemies as 💳 well as scramble their radar in close proximity.
Cavalry: Added in June 2024 as part of an update, this division carries 💳 a specialized riot shield, which provides increased defensive capabilities in firefights. The Cavalry division can also charge at enemies with 💳 the shield, and also has improved objective skills.
Commando: Added August 2024 as part of an update. This division allows players 💳 to place a flare on the map which, after a death, respawns the player at the location of the flare 💳 via a parachute. The flare takes the place of all tactical equipment. Also allows other perks which focus mainly on 💳 health regeneration.
On April 6, Sledgehammer Games announced an overhaul to the Divisions system, which includes massive changes to the meta 💳 of the system: Division-specific weapon skills are selectable as attachments for the corresponding weapon classes rather than being tied to 💳 the Divisions (with LMG bipods and sniper sharpshooter abilities being available by default), and several Division trainings are switched out/adjusted 💳 to better promote their recommended playstyle, without posing limitation of customization on the players. Other global changes include allowing suppressors 💳 on pistols, usage of rocket launchers without needing the Launched basic training, and infinite sprinting.
WWII also features Headquarters mode, which 💳 acts as a social space in the game. The hub is set on the Omaha Beach in Normandy, three days 💳 after the invasion when Allies retake the beach and turn it into a base. 48 players can be in the 💳 Headquarters at a time, and take part in various activities. For example, players can watch other players open loot boxes 💳 while in the Headquarters.[13] There is a firing range in the hub, where all players can practice their shooting skills 💳 with all weapons, as well as a field where they can test scorestreaks. There are also areas where players can 💳 engage in "1v1" fights, as other players watch the duels.[14]
The end-game "killcam" highlight shown at the end of multiplayer matches 💳 has been changed to "Bronze Star", which show kills "deemed most impressive" (counted by most points gained in a row).[15] 💳 The exception to this is the Search & Destroy game mode, which does not use Bronze Star killcam. Search & 💳 Destroy uses a final killcam, showing the last kill in the round.[16]
A new game mode, War, is introduced as a 💳 "narrative-driven" multiplayer game mode, developed in partnership with Raven Software. In War, two teams of 6 players perform objectives as 💳 either the Allied or Axis faction, inspired by some of the iconic World War II battles, such as storming Normandy 💳 on D-Day as the Allied, or defending the Normandy bunker as the Axis in the map Operation Neptune. In addition 💳 to War, popular game modes such as Team Deathmatch, Domination and Hardpoint return, as well as Gridiron, a "boots on 💳 the ground" variation of Uplink, which was originally introduced by Sledgehammer Games in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Several fan-favorite 💳 modes, as well as new modes, are introduced in time-limited events throughout the season, such as Demolition or Infected.
Nazi Zombies 💳 [ edit ]
WWII includes a zombies cooperative game mode, similar to previous entries by Treyarch and Infinity Ward, with its 💳 own original storyline set in alternate history and separate from the campaign. The game mode, dubbed Nazi Zombies in reference 💳 to its first iteration in Treyarch's Call of Duty: World at War, is also set in the events of World 💳 War II, as the Third Reich makes a desperate attempt to turn the tide of the war by creating an 💳 undead army in the final stages of the war. While the mode is based on science-fiction and is a fictional 💳 take on the war, Sledgehammer Games co-founder Michael Condrey said that the story of the mode is based on some 💳 "real events". He also revealed that the experience is similar to Dead Space, a third person shooter horror video game 💳 directed by both Condrey and Schofield during their work time at EA Redwood Shores.[17]
In regards to gameplay, Nazi Zombies retains 💳 the wave-based survival formula that have been used in all previous Zombies entries, with new additions. A class system is 💳 introduced, where players can opt for one of four combat roles: Offense, Control, Medic and Support, which provide different in-game 💳 abilities. Class loadouts are also included, with equippable Raven Mods, which are perks similar to the multiplayer mode. Sledgehammer Games 💳 also attempted to rationalize some of the popular mechanics, such as weapon wallbuys and currencies, with realistic explanation that fit 💳 within the lore of the game mode. Nazi Zombies includes a hint system, where portions of the main story quest 💳 are given directional hints for players to find and progress. In regards to the story quest, Sledgehammer's creative director Cameron 💳 Dayton reveals that there is a "casual path" for new and casual players where they can progress with the story, 💳 while a "hardcore" path, which is considered the official canon, exists with hidden objectives, and expands more on the story 💳 beyond what the casual path contains.[18]
Plot [ edit ]
Campaign [ edit ]
On June 6, 1944, United States Army Private First 💳 Class Ronald "Red" Daniels (Brett Zimmerman), of the 1st Infantry Division, assaults Omaha Beach with his platoon as part of 💳 the Normandy landings, accompanied by PFCs Robert Zussman (Jonathan Tucker), Frank Aiello (Jeff Schine), and Drew Stiles (Kevin Coubal); as 💳 well as the abrasive and alcoholic Technical Sergeant William Pierson (Josh Duhamel) and First Lieutenant Joseph Turner (Jeffrey Pierce). Zussman 💳 is stabbed by a German soldier during the battle, but recovers after being dragged to safety by Daniels.
On July 25 💳 and 26, the platoon accompanies the 745th Tank Battalion as part of Operation Cobra, liberating the town of Marigny; Daniels 💳 learns that Pierson was demoted after recklessly leading his men to their deaths during the Battle of Kasserine Pass.
On August 💳 20, the platoon is ordered by Colonel Davis (Matt Riedy) to conduct an operation with British Special Operations Executive officers 💳 Arthur Crowley (David Alpay) and Vivian Harris (Helen Sadler) to intercept and destroy a German armored train carrying V-2 rockets, 💳 rendezvousing with French resistance member Camille "Rousseau" Denis (Bella Dayne).
On August 25, Rousseau and Crowley infiltrate a German garrison in 💳 Paris to retrieve explosives in preparation for the platoon's assault upon it. Rousseau places explosives on the entrance and assassinates 💳 Gestapo officer Heinrich (J. Paul Boehmer) when he discerns her true identity, allowing the platoon to liberate the city.
On October 💳 18, the platoon assaults Aachen, supported by tank commander Staff Sergeant Augustine Pérez (Christian Lanz). After liberating a hotel, they 💳 discover civilians sheltering within the basement, and Turner orders their evacuation despite Pierson’s objections. After Daniels rescues a young girl 💳 named Anna (Lilith Max), German soldiers open fire on a truck carrying the civilians, killing Anna's older sister, Erica. Pierson 💳 sends the truck away without protection.
On November 14, the platoon is ordered to capture Hill 493 during the Battle of 💳 Hürtgen Forest. Pierson and Zussman are tasked with advancing towards the hill, while Daniels and Turner cover them until they 💳 can meet at the bottom. However, Turner's squad discovers that Pierson ordered an early attack on the hill, forcing them 💳 to join in. The platoon destroys artillery positions, but are attacked by a Tiger II. Daniels is injured in the 💳 process of destroying the tank, and Turner sacrifices himself to cover the platoon's escape after rescuing him. In the aftermath, 💳 Pierson becomes head of the platoon, promoting Daniels to corporal.
During the Battle of the Bulge, the platoon is surrounded by 💳 Germans. African-American combat engineer Howard (Russell Richardson) helps the platoon contact air support. Daniels obtains intelligence from a German POW 💳 revealing that the Germans plan to destroy the bridge at Remagen, the last bridge over the Rhine. After destroying the 💳 explosives in transit, the platoon attacks a nearby air base to destroy the remaining explosives. The attack fails, and Zussman 💳 is captured. Daniels disobeys Pierson and attempts to pursue the truck carrying Zussman, but is wounded and fails, with Pierson 💳 firing him from the platoon; Zussman is sent to a concentration camp. Daniels is awarded a Bronze Star for discovering 💳 the German intelligence, and given the option to return home to his pregnant wife. Daniels refuses, however, still desiring to 💳 rescue Zussman. Upon confronting Pierson, he learns that Pierson was actually demoted, after the Battle of Kasserine Pass, for disobeying 💳 orders to retreat in a failed attempt to save part of his platoon. Pierson allows Daniels to rejoin the platoon.
On 💳 March 7, 1945, the platoon captures the last bridge over the Rhine. They head into Germany and search of Zussman, 💳 eventually reaching the Berga concentration camp, which they find abandoned; the camp's survivors were sent on a death march. Daniels 💳 finds and saves Zussman.
With the war in Europe over, Daniels leaves his platoon and returns to Texas, reuniting with his 💳 wife and newborn son. He visits the grave of his older brother, Paul (Chris Browning), who died during Daniels’ childhood 💳 after being attacked by a wolf that Daniels failed to shoot, and places his medal on the tombstone.
Nazi Zombies [ 💳 edit ]
Austrian engineer Marie Fischer (Katheryn Winnick) is sent on a mission to her hometown village of Mittelberg by her 💳 commanding officer, Major Hank Rideau (Darin De Paul), to retrieve lost artifacts stolen by the Nazis for experimentation, as well 💳 as rescue her brother, Klaus, who provided the information. Klaus has been unwillingly working with their lead scientist Peter Straub 💳 (Udo Kier) and weapons expert Colonel Heinz Richter (Tomm Voss) on a project to exploit a new energy dubbed "Geistkraft" 💳 (literal translation: ‘Spiritforce’) to assist the Nazi party's war efforts. Marie is accompanied by Scottish history professor turned art thief 💳 Drostan Hynd (David Tennant), Art Historian turned French Resistance fighter Olivia Durant (Élodie Yung) and United States Army Captain Jefferson 💳 Potts (Ving Rhames), all of whom have significant knowledge on the stolen arts and relics. However, on their train ride 💳 to Mittelberg, the group is attacked by an unidentified colossal being. Marie is stranded from the others, and finds herself 💳 taking temporary refuge at a small house nearby, where she holds out against hordes of dead German soldiers reanimated by 💳 Geistkraft, until she is able to make her way to the village.
After reuniting with the other three, Marie and the 💳 crew proceed further down into the village's hidden bunker, where Straub has set up his laboratory. There, they fend off 💳 against Straub's undead horde, as well as Richter, whose obsession on weaponization of Geistkraft puts him at odds with Straub. 💳 Eventually, the group recovers the artifact, the Hilt of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa's Sword. They then encounter the creature from earlier, 💳 a humanoid-shaped amalgam of numerous body parts sewn and stitched together, dubbed the Panzermörder (literal translation: 'Armor Killer'), with Klaus 💳 fused into the creature's chest. Using special magnetized batteries, the group manages to stun the Panzermörder and attach the batteries 💳 onto it. Richter's zeppelin, flying above the village, attempts to pull the batteries back, which pulls the creature along as 💳 well. The Panzermörder struggles to escape, and destroys the zeppelin and itself, freeing Klaus from its body. The Hilt's power 💳 somehow revives Klaus, but in a seemingly possessed state, he staggers into the village while ignoring Marie's pleas. He tells 💳 the crew to prevent "the Emperor"'s return, before activating a fire trap, disappearing in the engulfing flame.
Days later, the crew 💳 receives intel of Straub's sighting at the islands of Heligoland, where he has been storing his undead army. They travel 💳 to the island in pursuit of Straub, as well as the next piece of Barbarossa's Sword. The crew comes into 💳 struggle with the Nazi Kriegsmarine forces protecting the island as well as Straub's latest undead creations, as he prepares for 💳 an assault on Britain. Upon solving several ancient riddles, they find a ritual chamber dedicated to the goddess Nerthus, where 💳 they acquire the Pommel of Barbarossa's Sword. The crew then calls the British Royal Air Force in for an airstrike 💳 to destroy the facility on the island; in an effort to escape, they go up against the Meistermeuchlers (literal translation: 💳 Master Assassins), zombies that are engineered to adapt to their enemies' combat style and skills. After defeating the monstrous creatures, 💳 they manage to stow away on one of Straub's zeppelins, as he and his forces return to Berlin in response 💳 to Adolf Hitler's call for rescue.
The zeppelins arrive at Berlin as the Red Army begins their invasion into the city. 💳 Realizing that the Russians will be outmatched by the undead army, the crew grabs onto one of the zombie drop 💳 pods and lands onto the ground. After assisting the Red Army by drawing Straub's attention away from them, the four 💳 recover three Geistkraft-powered melee weapons hidden around the city by the Nazis. Using the weapons as keys, they uncover a 💳 hidden courtyard, where they find the final piece of Barbarossa's Sword, the Blade. With all parts of the Sword collected, 💳 the crew infiltrates Straub's zeppelin for a final showdown, where he ends up being overwhelmed and brutally killed by his 💳 own zombies. They battle against Straub's last creation, the Stadtjäger (literal translation: 'City Hunter'), then make it back to the 💳 city where they hold out against the endless zombie horde until Rideau arrives and extracts them.
In the wake of Straub's 💳 demise, the undead army is unleashed all across Europe. United States President Harry S. Truman authorizes Rideau, now General, to 💳 form the Bureau of Archaic Technologies, a special task force consisting of global elite Allied agents, in order to combat 💳 the new threat. Unable to reassemble the Sword of Barbarossa on their own, Marie and Drostan deduce that their only 💳 option is to find the legendary forge of Thule. Jefferson, now promoted to Major, leads the team to New Swabia, 💳 Antarctica, in search of the forge upon discovery of increased Nazi activity in the region. Rideau leads a team of 💳 new Bureau recruits to transport the pieces of the Sword by different routes to New Swabia. The B.A.T. operatives head 💳 to a port at Málaga, Spain, and board a ship across the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, they encounter resistance 💳 from the undead army, but manage to prevail. At New Swabia, the crew find the forge, and upon successful deciphering 💳 of ancient Thulian runes, they finally reassemble the Sword after Rideau delivers the remaining pieces. Afterwards, the crew battles against 💳 the Guardian of the forge, and emerges victorious. The four manage to escape the forge as it collapses, but unbeknownst 💳 to them, Geistkraft energy begins to flow intensively beneath the area.
On their flight back from New Swabia, the crew's plane 💳 is shot by a bolt of Geistkraft lightning, and crash-lands near the site. They then find themselves within the Lost 💳 City of Thule, the source of the Geistkraft energy. The team uncovers ancient weapons once wielded by the Raven Lords, 💳 elite warriors who are meant to bring balance to a cycle of life and death, and uses them against the 💳 undead horde. B.A.T. agent Vivian Harris, who is sent by Rideau to recover Barbarossa's Sword from the crash, is driven 💳 insane by its power, and uses it to awaken the God King, a gigantic Thulian entity who claims to be 💳 the influence behind Straub as well as Barbarossa. The God King seemingly overpowers the four, but Klaus, who has been 💳 reborn as the Rook, arrives and charges them with Geistkraft, bestowing them the title of Raven Lords, allowing them to 💳 defeat the God King. Rideau then contacts the four, revealing his true status as a member of the Order of 💳 the Ravens, an ancient cult dedicated to serving the Raven Lords; he insists that they must now embrace their newfound 💳 titles and destiny, and lead the Order in the ongoing battle against the remaining undead forces.
Development [ edit ]
Call of 💳 Duty: World War II is the second game in the Call of Duty franchise developed by Sledgehammer Games, and the 💳 fourth to benefit under publisher Activision's three-year development cycle (the first being Sledgehammer's Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare) in order 💳 for a longer development time for each game. A new Call of Duty title set in World War II was 💳 alluded to in a 2014 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare launch interview with Michael Condrey, co-founder of Sledgehammer Games. In 💳 the interview by Metro, the interviewer asked him what the possibilities of where the next Call of Duty could go 💳 in terms of setting. Condrey responded, "Some of my favorite pieces of entertainment are set in World War II." Band 💳 of Brothers, I'm a massive fan of Band of Brothers." Condrey dived further into the subject, "And that's a great 💳 hero's war, kind of the last that was recognized as a noble cause in a war. So yeah, I think 💳 a next generation game with the latest production values and robustness in a World War II setting like Band of 💳 Brothers would be amazing. Now, how would it play and how would the multiplayer work after the new movement set 💳 in Advanced Warfare? That's a tougher question than I've had to tackle yet…".[19] The game runs on an upgraded version 💳 of Sledgehammer Games' in-house custom engine from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.[20]
Sledgehammer Games was hesitant to reveal all the authentic 💳 settings from World War II that developers have put into the game's storyline. Activision initially refused to deny claims that 💳 Nazi extermination camps would be featured in the game.[citation needed] Adam Rosenberg of Mashable wrote that video games set during 💳 World War II tended to be "Holocaust deniers" in the sense that they avoided broaching the subject for business reasons, 💳 but that this could be the very first Call of Duty World War II based game where the Holocaust would 💳 be depicted. Senior creative director Bret Robbins said in an interview "Some very, very dark things happened during this conflict 💳 and it felt wrong for us to ignore that." He further stated "We absolutely show atrocities. It's an unfortunate part 💳 of the history, but you can't tell an authentic, truthful story without going there. So we went there." Robbins argued 💳 that audiences can now handle games with more maturity and nuance, "People are ready for it. They want it", he 💳 said.[21][22] When asked directly over Twitter as to whether or not the story campaign would allow gamers the opportunity to 💳 play as soldiers from the Axis powers such as Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Sledgehammer Games confirmed that the campaign 💳 gameplay would be limited to Allied forces. More specifically, Sledgehammer co-founder Michael Condrey confirmed that the game will focus exclusively 💳 on the Allied powers.[citation needed]
The Windows version of the game was developed in a collaboration with Raven Software. In regards 💳 to it, Raven's CTO Dwight Luetscher stated that they were trying to focus on the Windows platform, as well as 💳 the community, by responding to their needs for it to excel. The Windows version features several notable changes, including removal 💳 of controller aim assist and addition of sensitivity slider for aim-down-sights mechanic.[23]
All pre-orders excluding the PC version included access to 💳 the private beta, which was made available first on the PlayStation 4 from August 25–28, followed by a second week 💳 for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One from September 1–4. The PC beta was announced as an open beta, and 💳 ran from September 29 – October 2 on Steam. Players who participated in the beta received the Beta Combat Pack 💳 for the full game, which contains a special in-game helmet, emblem and calling card. The game is available in three 💳 editions: Base Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition and the Pro Edition. The Pro Edition was sold exclusively at GameStop, with pre-orders 💳 of the game at GameStop also included a limited edition hat.[24]
Release [ edit ]
The game was released worldwide on November 💳 3, 2024, for PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One.[25]
Upon the game's release, online servers were down for most of the 💳 day, inhibiting players from playing online multiplayer, as well as some not being able to access the campaign and Nazi 💳 Zombies. Activision acknowledged the problem and announced they were working to resolve it.[26][27]
Downloadable content [ edit ]
Call of Duty: WWII 💳 offers four downloadable content map packs, each containing three regular multiplayer maps, one War map, and one Nazi Zombies map. 💳 Players who purchase the Season Pass, which grant access to all four map packs on release, also receive Carentan, a 💳 remake of the multiplayer map of the same name featured in Call of Duty and Call of Duty 2.
On December 💳 19, 2024, Activision released a preview trailer for the first downloadable content pack, The Resistance, containing 3 new multiplayer maps: 💳 Anthropoid, Valkyrie, Occupation (the latter of which is a remake of Resistance from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3); 1 💳 new War map: Operation Intercept; and 1 new Nazi Zombies map: The Darkest Shore. The map pack was released January 💳 30, 2024, first on PlayStation 4, and on March 1, 2024, for Xbox One and Steam.[28]
On April 6, 2024, Activision 💳 announced the second downloadable content pack, The War Machine, containing 3 multiplayer maps: Egypt, Dunkirk, V2; 1 new War map: 💳 Operation Husky; and 1 new Nazi Zombies map: The Shadowed Throne. The map pack was released April 17, 2024, first 💳 on PlayStation 4, and on May 17, 2024, for Xbox One and Steam.
On June 19, 2024, Activision announced the third 💳 downloadable content pack, United Front, containing 3 multiplayer maps: Monte Cassino, Market Garden, Stalingrad; 1 new War map: Operation Supercharge; 💳 and 3 new Nazi Zombies maps: Into the Storm, Across the Depth, and Beneath the Ice, referred to collectively as 💳 The Tortured Path. The map pack was released June 26, 2024, first on PlayStation 4, and on July 26, 2024, 💳 for Xbox One and Steam.
On August 23, 2024, Activision announced the fourth and final downloadable content pack, Shadow War, containing 💳 3 multiplayer maps: Airship, Chancellery, Excavation; 1 new War map: Operation Arcane; and 1 new Nazi Zombies map: The Frozen 💳 Dawn. The map pack was released August 28, 2024, first on PlayStation 4, and on September 27, 2024, for Xbox 💳 One and Steam.
In addition to the map packs, the game also received several free multiplayer maps as part of seasonal 💳 events. On December 7, 2024, Sledgehammer released Winter Carentan, a winter-themed version of the Carentan map to all players as 💳 part of the Winter Siege event. On March 13, 2024, Shipment 1944, a remake of the map Shipment from Call 💳 of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released to all season pass holders, and to all players three days after. On 💳 April 17, 2024, Sledgehammer Games introduced a new map, HQ, based on the same Headquarters social hub, as a playable 💳 map in several party modes. On May 29, 2024, the Nazi Zombies map Gröesten Haus is brought into Multiplayer as 💳 a playable map for zombie-themed game modes as part of the Attack of the Undead event. On July 30, 2024, 💳 a new map, Sandbox, is added for free to all PlayStation 4 players as part of the Days of Summer 💳 event, and on August 30, 2024 for Xbox One and Steam players.
Reception [ edit ]
Before the game's release, its sparse 💳 use of the Swastika symbol, as well as the diversity of playable German soldiers in the online multiplayer, drew some 💳 criticism. During E3 2024, Sledgehammer co-founder Michael Condrey explained that swastikas were removed from the multiplayer and Zombies modes as 💳 "Including Nazi symbols wouldn't bring honor, nor be appropriate, without the rich history of a WW2 story to ground their 💳 context in Multiplayer" and that the multiplayer experiences were "shared, global ones, so we needed to adhere to local laws 💳 and regulations", referring to Germany's censorship laws on the imagery of swastikas. On the other hand, swastikas would be included 💳 in the campaign, stemming from wanting to be "historically accurate and tell the story we wanted to tell ... the 💳 best way to represent history, which was very important to us."[29][self-published source] Condrey also empathized with complaints that including black 💳 and female German soldiers in the multiplayer was historically inaccurate (as in reality Nazi Germany never recruited people from such 💳 denominations), saying he wanted the game to appeal to a diverse audience and being reflected in their player avatar: "it's 💳 also about putting you - this is about you - in World War 2 ... that evolution of your character 💳 means it's important for us to allow you to choose to be you, and to have a hero that represents 💳 who you are, whomever you choose that to be."[30]
Call of Duty: WWII received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for the 💳 PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, while the PC version received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[33][32][31]
Miguel Concepcion 💳 of GameSpot awarded the game a 9/10, writing that the campaign was "moving" and "salutes the brotherhood that grows and 💳 strengthens on the battlefield" with "a supporting cast of well-crafted personalities", as well as praising the game's "excellent visuals and 💳 sound design".[39] In his 8.5/10 review for EGMNow, Nick Plessas similarly wrote that the campaign's protagonists were "well characterized and 💳 [...] the cause for the game's most impactful conflicts". He praised the lack of regenerating health which gave the game 💳 "new levels of strategy and exploration, ultimately adding more entertainment than frustration", and that the reliance on fellow soldiers "necessitates 💳 more strategic positioning and resource management".[36]
IGN's Miranda Sanchez awarded the game 8/10, saying the campaign was a "more human perspective 💳 than we've seen in recent years", with interesting and diverse characters. However, she criticized some action sequences for conflicting with 💳 the game's serious tone, as well as several repetitive and frustrating missions. She wrote that the Zombies was the standout 💳 mode in the game, which helped strike "a rewarding balance for the diehard zombies fans [...] and those that just 💳 want to jump in and have a good time", although criticized that the experience suffered when playing with other people.[42] 💳 Daniel Tack from Game Informer gave the game an 8.75/10, stating that he felt the campaign was the only drawback 💳 overall; despite capturing a "signature explosive feel through various adrenaline-fueled moments", he thought progression felt tedious as a result of 💳 "standard gunplay and endless killing fields". He praised the multiplayer as the "shining star of the three modes", especially enjoying 💳 the game's new War mode in terms of its variety, and highlighted the return to the traditional gameplay and range 💳 of customization options.[37]
GameRevolution's Jason Faulkner complained that storming German emplacements from the sea was already in Medal of Honor: Frontline, 💳 Call of Duty 2 and Battlefield 1942 and similar mission in Call of Duty: WWII had "a very “been there 💳 done that” feel". However, he notes that some missions in the game "stand out among the best in the series". 💳 Also, he agrees that "The production quality is excellent".[38]
Destructoid's Chris Moyse praised the game as a "satisfying experience" and the 💳 campaign as "one of the series' best in some time", but felt that "it also makes little effort to overhaul 💳 the brand as a whole, playing it incredibly safe when the opportunity for reinvention was right there for the taking."[34] 💳 Polygon's Russ Frushtick generally praised the multiplayer, calling it "strong and enjoyable", but criticized the campaign, writing that "just about 💳 every mission feels like déjà vu, as if I'd played it before in another game" and that "Changing the time 💳 period so dramatically only helps to highlight how little has changed since the franchise's total re-imagining with Call of Duty 💳 4."[44] Jeff Gerstmann of Giant Bomb was more critical of the game, calling the characters "lifeless and generic" and the 💳 antagonists "faceless Nazis", stating that "the game doesn't really feel like it's doing anything cool to take advantage of its 💳 setting and time period" and summarising "despite all of Activision's big talk about "boots on the ground" action and how 💳 this was going to be some big deal, the setting change didn't bring any new and exciting inspiration with it. 💳 This feels like the most wheel-spinning, by-the-numbers Call of Duty they've made thus far."[41]
Eurogamer ranked the game 38th on their 💳 list of the "Top 50 Games of 2024",[45] while EGMNow ranked it 20th in their list of the 25 Best 💳 Games of 2024.[46] The game was nominated for "Best Shooter", "Best Graphics", "Best Multiplayer" and "Best Spectator Game" in IGN's 💳 Best of 2024 Awards.[47][48][49][50]
Sales [ edit ]
The game earned over US$500 million within its first three days of release.[51] On 💳 December 20, 2024, it was announced that the game had generated overR$1 billion in worldwide revenue, and was the highest-grossing 💳 console game of the year in North America and second highest in the United Kingdom.[52] By the end of 2024, 💳 the game had over 20.7 million players, 12.1 million players on PlayStation 4, 7.8 million players on Xbox One, and 💳 825,000 players on Steam.[53]
The PlayStation 4 version sold 168,234 copies within its first week on sale in Japan, making it 💳 the best-selling game of that week in the country.[54]
Accolades [ edit ]
Swatting incident [ edit ]
Not long after WWII was 💳 released, a fatal incident occurred in which Ohio resident Casey Viner, angered over friendly fire that ruined an online match 💳 in a tournament that costR$1.50 in betting, threatened to swat his teammate, Wichita resident Shane Gaskill. Gaskill posted his previous 💳 home address in McCormick and challenged Viner to swat him. Viner contacted Los Angeles resident Tyler Barriss, who called the 💳 Wichita Police Department (WPD) claiming to have murdered his father and taken his mother and sibling hostage. He provided them 💳 with the McCormick address used by Gaskill. WPD officers arrived at the address, now occupied by 28-year-old Andrew Finch. A 💳 single officer, Justin Rapp, shot and killed Finch, claiming he believed Finch reached for his waistband.[74]
Notes [ edit ]
