Call of Duty 2021: Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, Warzone, Call of Duty: Mobile

History of Call of Duty

Over the span of the last two decades, Call of Duty has become a household name. Beginning in 2003, Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game series published by Activision.

The series has given rise to some of the most popular FPS titles, with Infinity Ward and Treyarch developing most of the games. Sledgehammer Games and other studios have also created some titles in the franchise. Fans are greeted with a new Call of Duty game every year with the above-mentioned studios rotating their role as the primary developer.

Initially, the franchise focused on games with a World War II setting. However, the series eventually transitioned into games centered around the Cold War, modern and futuristic worlds, and even outer space. Since originating in 2003, the Call of Duty franchise has earned more than $15 billion and has sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.

Call of Duty games: Main series

Call of Duty

Developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, this first-person shooter video game was released on October 29, 2003, for PC. Acting as the first installment in the series, the game is set during the events of World War II.

An expansion pack, produced by Activision and developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Pi Studios, titled Call of Duty: United Offensive, followed in September 2004. A high definition port of the game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, titled Call of Duty Classic, underwent a worldwide release in November 2009.

Call of Duty 2

Set during World War II, this first-person shooter was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. A sequel to Call of Duty and the second installment in the series, the game was released on October 25, 2005, for PC, November 15, 2005, for Xbox 360, and May 26, 2006, for Mac OS X.

Call of Duty 3

This historic first-person shooter also takes place during World War II. It was released on November 7, 2006, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Later on November 14, 2006, the game underwent a release for PlayStation 3 and Wii. Serving as the third installment in the series, Treyarch developed Call of Duty 3 and Activision published it.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

The franchise deviated from the World War II setting and transitioned into modern times with this first-person shooter. Serving as the fourth main installment in the series, the game was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. Modern Warfare underwent a release on November 5, 2007, for the PlayStation 3,?Xbox 360, and PC. Later in 2009, it was ported to the Nintendo Wii as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - Reflex Edition.

World at War

Featuring the Pacific theatre and Eastern front, the franchise returned to the World War II setting with this title. World at War was developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It is the fifth main installment in the series and was released for PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 in November 2008.

World at War received ports for Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2, and Glu Mobile also created a Windows Mobile version for it. The game is the first title in the Black Ops narrative and also the first one in the series to feature a zombies mode.

Modern Warfare 2

Developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, it is the sixth main installment in the series. Modern Warfare 2 underwent a worldwide release on November 10, 2009, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. It is a sequel to 2007's Modern Warfare. The game features several returning characters and progresses with the same storyline taking place five years after the initial game.

Black Ops

Black Ops is the first game in the series which is set during the Cold War and also partially during the Vietnam War. It is the seventh main entry in the franchise and the third developed by Treyarch. Published by Activision, the game released on November 9, 2010, for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Later, the game made its way into the Nintendo DS as well as the Wii.

Modern Warfare 3

The third title in the Modern Warfare sub-series and a sequel to Modern Warfare 2, this game's storyline proceeds right after the climax of the previous game. Modern Warfare 3 underwent a worldwide release in November 2011 for PC, the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii. Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games jointly developed the game, while Activision published it. N-Space developed a separate version for Nintendo DS, while Treyarch was in charge of developing the game's Wii port.

Black Ops II

This first-person shooter was the first in the series to incorporate futuristic warfare. Guided by player choice and multiple endings, the campaign consists of multiple branching storylines.

Black Ops II is the ninth main entry in the franchise and a sequel to the original Black Ops of 2010. Developed by Treyarch and published by Activision, the game was released for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 12, 2012. Later in the same month, the game launched for Wii U across several regions.

Ghosts

Serving as the tenth major entry into the franchise, Infinity Ward developed the game and Activision published it. Call of Duty: Ghosts experienced a full release on November 5, 2013, for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U. It was also the first game in the series to make its way into the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.

Advanced Warfare

This game was the first game in the franchise primarily developed by Sledgehammer Games. Advanced Warfare was the first game to introduce some unconventional movement mechanics such as double jump and boost slide.

Sledgehammer Games developed the game for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Meanwhile, High Moon Studios developed the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions and Raven Software was in-charge of creating the multiplayer and Exo-Zombies mode.

Published by Activision, the game was launched on November 4, 2014.

Black Ops III

A sequel to Black Ops II, the game is the twelfth main entry in the series with Treyarch acting as the developer and Activision being the publisher. Black Ops III underwent a release on November 6, 2015, for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

It was also the last COD title to release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 after Beenox and Mercenary Technology developed a version that only facilitated multiplayer modes on those platforms. The storyline of this game occurs 40 years after the events of the previous Black Ops game.

Infinite Warfare

This game introduced a brand new setting for the franchise. It takes players to outer space where they experience new gameplay mechanics and equipment to navigate efficiently in zero-gravity environments.

Infinity Ward developed the game and Activision published it. Infinite Warfare underwent a worldwide release on November 4, 2016, for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Call of Duty: WWII

This was the first title in the series since 2008 with a World War II setting. The game focuses on the European theatre of the war, following historical events and battles on the Western front. Developed by Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision, it is the franchise's fourteenth main entry. The game experienced a worldwide release on November 3, 2017, for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Black Ops 4

The game was the first in the series that primarily focused on multiplayer gameplay without a traditional single-player campaign mode. It features a Solo Missions mode which centers around the backstories of the multiplayer characters.

Alongside the multiplayer and zombies co-op mode, Black Ops 4 also introduced a brand new battle royale mode known as Blackout. While Treyarch developed the game, Activision published it. The game was released on October 12, 2018, for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare & Warzone

2019's Modern Warfare is a reboot of the Modern Warfare sub-series and also the sixteenth main entry into the franchise. Although it is set in a distinct timeline from the other MW games, several popular characters from the sub-series returned with this game.

Developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, the game underwent a release on October 25, 2019, for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Later, on March 10, 2020, Infinity Ward, Raven Software, and Activision released a free-to-play battle royale extension of Modern Warfare known as Warzone.

This battle royale features 150 players in a lobby, (200 in some limited-time modes) which is much more compared to the 100 players supported by other battle royales. Within, the first month of its release, Warzone exceeded 50 million players and has kept gaining immense popularity ever since.

Call of Duty spin-offs and remasters

Here are some remastered titles:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - Initially released on November 4, 2016, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Later, the game underwent a standalone release on June 27, 2017.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered - Released on March 31, 2020, for PlayStation 4, and on April 30, 2020, for Xbox One and PC.

Some console exclusive titles are as follows:

Call of Duty: Finest Hour (November 2004)

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (November 2005)

Call of Duty: World at War - Final Fronts (November 2005)

Call of Duty: The War Collection (June 2010)

Some handheld titles are as follows:

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory (March 2007)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - Mobilized (November 2009)

Call of Duty: Black Ops DS (November 2010)

Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified (November 2012)

The series also has a free-to-play PC exclusive title launched specifically for China:

Call of Duty Online (September 2012)

Finally, these are some mobile titles:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Force Recon (November 2009)

Call of Duty: Zombies (November 2009)

Call of Duty: Strike Team (September 2013)

Call of Duty: Heroes (November 2014)

Call of Duty: Mobile (October 2019)

What Call of Duty title is coming out in 2020?

Black Ops Cold War is set to become the seventeenth main entry in the overall series and the sixth installment in the Black Ops sub-series. The game is a sequel to 2010's Black Ops and is being developed by Treyarch and Raven Software.

Black Ops Cold War takes place during the Cold War in the early 1980s. Fans were greeted with an official reveal trailer in August 2020 accompanied by the official multiplayer reveal in September 2020. The game is expected to release on November 13, 2020.

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