The story, the squad, and Sledgehammer’s mission to blend spectacle and history – everything you need to know about the Call of Duty: WWII single player campaign.
Call of Duty’s return to its roots in Second World War action is just around the corner and this week Sledgehammer has finally revealed more about their single-player campaign. This week we got a new story trailer, profiles on the game’s protagonists, and a better look at how Sledgehammer will be balancing the fiction of an FPS with the brutality of history.
The Story
Call of Duty: WWII is the story of Private Ronald “Red” Daniels, a young recruit in the U.S. First Infantry Division. We will follow Red from his first experience with combat on D-Day across Europe. Players will take part in several iconic battles like Hürtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge as they push their way into Germany. This is a story about the camaraderie of the squad and the difficult decisions at the heart of this conflict. Take a look at the official Story Trailer below:
Although this trailer focuses on the small group of First Infantry Division soldiers there will be others troops in the story and online modes. There is no playable Axis campaign, however, outside of the primary story, you will also play as other allied troops including a member of the French resistance fighter, a tank commander, and an RAF pilot.
Sledgehammer is making an effort to bring an element of historical accuracy to their work of fiction. Sledgehammer Games co-founder Glen Schofield spoke about the teams commitment to history and telling the human side of the conflict. He said there will be the ‘spectacle’ player expect from the triple-A franchise but the studio is committed to authenticity. Consulting with experts in WWII like historian Marty Morgan and visiting the locations in an effort to preserve the memory of the war and those involved. The research team worked to find real situations and events that they could weave their fictional characters into.
From widely recognizable events such as D-Day to even small things that many players may not even realize like searching the records for a train wreck that fit the story. Morgan eventually found one that “was more interesting than what I was coming up with myself,” according to Schofield. He claims that the story does not avoid the “big things” either. Topics like racism, sexism, the brutalities of war will all be part of Sledgehammer’s story.
The new campaign trailer has already revealed some of the brutal fighting conditions and darker elements such as references to the death camps as a member of your squad is thrown into a train car after being captured by German troops. American soldiers were sent to concentration camps if their captors determined they were Jewish either via their dog tags or sometimes just by appearance. That is likely the closest Call of Duty will come to the issue, but one that still deserves to be addressed.
Meet the Squad
Private Ronald “Red” Daniels (Johnathan Tucker)
Private Robert Zussman
Sergeant William Pierson (Josh Duhamel)
Lieutenant Joseph Turner (Jeffrey Pierce), your commanding officer.
Your Allies
A highly skilled French Resistance fighter, Rousseau will do whatever it takes to fight off the Axis powers in France and avenge the ones she’s lost.
After years of fighting in the British Expeditionary Force, Major Arthur Crowley serves as a part of the Special Operations Executive, where he executes covert missions behind enemy lines.
For the team, WWII is not the story of individuals but of people working together and they want that sense of brotherhood and selflessness to translate into the player experience. One of the goals is for players to understand the gravity of this event that many may feel removed from after so many years.
Call of Duty: WWII will be available November 3rd for PC, PS4, and Xbox.
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