It is stuffy and cramped in the boat as we crouch between our still unknown comrades, to whom we are supposed to trust our lives. Water splashes over the side of the ship while we are shouted at that any deserter will be shot. We look uncertainly at the land in front of us, which promises only death, while the crews next to us never even reach the shore.
Whoever was the very first Call of Duty (buy now ) will certainly vividly remember the tragedy and tension that Infinity Ward confronted us with in 2003. It is no coincidence that this laid the foundation for the most successful first-person shooter series ever.
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Gets under the skin
The liberation of Stalingrad from German occupation during World War II is one of the most famous scenes in the shooter of the time. The level is so memorable because you run through the hail of bullets without a weapon for the first few minutes. Instead, you have to hope that a friend with a suitable gun falls to the ground so that you can finally defend yourself.
But that's not the only tension in the game. At one point, artillery strikes send us to the ground and we have to keep running with a thundering skull and blurred vision. At another point, we wait desperately for rescue and have to hold a bridge until reinforcements finally arrive – and so that even the last person understands that this is a heroic act, the whole thing is accompanied by epic orchestral music.
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A playable film
Back then, Call of Duty was like a playable film that stood out above all for its immersion. Instead of arrows pointing us in the right direction, drill sergeants tell us directly what to do. And we experience the cruelty of war in our own virtual bodies, as well as the action that makes a good shooter.
Call of Duty not only uses some cinematic templates like Band of Brothers or Enemy at the Gates, which provide clear inspiration. Already at release, some noticed that the game does not differ too much from Medal of Honor: Allied Assault the third part of the Medal of Honor series.
Source: PCGH
An eventful history
This is no surprise, because the fact that Call of Duty was created at all is directly linked to the development history of its biggest competitor at the time. Allied Assault was developed under the direction of a studio that was completely unknown at the time: 2015, Inc.
He only got the gig from EA through a personal recommendation and according to later statements by some developers, the studio head simply hired him through Online boards any amateur developers at.
The resulting game was a hit, but the chaotic working conditions took their toll on the employees. For the two employees Vincent Zampella and Jason West, it was the perfect opportunity to found a new studio and take almost the entire workforce with them. At least that is what a lawsuit filed by the then studio 2015, Inc. says. In it, Zampella was accused of Publisher EA in negotiationsto outsmart his old studio.
To this day, none of those involved have clarified exactly what happened behind the scenes, but when two people argue, a third is happy – and that was Activision, which ultimately won the deal. The conditions stipulated that Activision, as publisher, would hold 30 percent of the shares at the beginning and could buy the rest of the studio at any time for around 3 million euros. A promise that was kept just one year later.
The birth of a legendary game series
Thus was born Infinity Ward, one of the biggest goldmines in video game history, which would later catapult its own franchise to almost infinitely lucrative heights with Modern Warfare. The fourth part of the series sold over five million copies within 24 hours and grossed over a billion dollars in just a few months.
Source: Steam
But the very first Call of Duty was already a commercial success. By 2013, IGN calculatedthe original part sold around four and a half million copies, a number that the second part even surpassed. Today, there is talk of over 425 million CoD parts sold in total. And after all, the franchise has over 20 titles and on Steam you pay over 900 euros for the bundle if you want to buy all the games available there.