It has been 20 years since the original Call of Duty game was released for PC on October 29, 2003. To celebrate what is likely one of the smallest milestones in the mega-franchise, the CoD social media is asking everyone to think of their favorite games in the series.
When the original Call of Duty was in production, the top shooter on the market was Medal of Honor. During this time, World War II shooters were a hot commodity, so Activision set out to make a game that had the sole purpose of being the next big dog in gaming. The original CoD’s project name was legitimately “Medal of Honor Killer.” It wouldn’t be until Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that the series truly took over the world, but it is easy to say that Activision went through with its plan of taking that top spot and holding it.
While some gamers generally look at Call of Duty as a bit of an annoyance these days, just about everyone who is into competitive shooter or war games has a fond spot in their heart for at least one game in the series. As much as you may have some ill will towards the annual release of these games nowadays, thousands of players still look forward to these games releasing. Call of Duty is the perfect encapsulation of nailing down the casual crowd and bringing them back with its brand power.
Call of Duty reaching 20 years really shows how much of a staple it has become in that time. It releases on a more consistent schedule than the other big names in gaming, like Mario and Grand Theft Auto, and it always adapts to what is big at that moment. While its name was established from its team multiplayer matches, the campaigns, Warzone, and Zombies crowd come back every year just for those experiences. It’s essentially comfort food for gamers. They always know it will be there and will give an at least somewhat enjoyable experience. Now that Xbox is in charge of the franchise, it will be interesting to see how things change for it going forward.
