Join us as we celebrate Call of Duty 20th Anniversary
Call of Duty is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. First announced on its X (Twitter page) under the hashtag #COD20, Call of Duty 20th Anniversary is a major milestone for the celebrated franchise. This milestone has been possible thanks to the developers and teams, past and present, at Activision and the Call of Duty community worldwide.
Call of Duty games have entertained hundreds of millions of gamers worldwide and generated billions of dollars in sales and revenue since the game first appeared as a PC game. As Call of Duty celebrates this important milestone, it’s set to mark another important milestone – the launch of Modern Warfare III on November 10th 2023. This is the first time for the franchise to release a direct sequel.
The Birth of a Gaming Legend
First launched on October 29th 2003 for PCs, Call of Duty 20th Anniversary has had a long and interesting history. Call of Duty 2003 was the first game that started it all. Developed by a small team at Infinity Ward, the first-person action game retold the story of World War II.
It featured 24 Campaign missions. In these missions, players fought as Sergeant Evans of the British 6th Airborne Division, Private Martin of the US 101st Airborne Division and Alexei, a Russian citizen. This game won the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Game of the Year award and sold 790,000 copies earning $29.6 million by 2006.
The following year, Call of Duty returned with two games – United Offensive and Finest Hour, released two months apart. The United Offensive game was an expansion pack and the first CoD 20th Anniversary to have a rank system where players earned XP to level up.
After the release of United Offensive, Call of Duty launched Finest Hour for consoles. This game had a new storyline based on the North African, Eastern and Western fronts. Finest Hour also featured multiplayer support for up to 32 players. Also, the game was the first for the franchise to feature a female playable character – Lieutenant Tanya Pavelovna.
Since then, the franchise has released more than 20 games, including a mobile version for Android and iOS devices. CoD 20th Anniversary games have been a critical and commercial success, praised for their single-player and multiplayer campaigns each with unique stories. Not to forget the introduction of killstreaks, which is now a staple of Call of Duty games.
Evolution and Innovations
Since the first launch of Call of Duty, there have been 20 different CoD titles from various teams with spin-off releases. Examples include Modern Warfare, Black Ops, Vanguard, Advanced Warfare and Ghost titles.
One of the most significant innovations for the Call of Duty 20th Anniversary franchise came with the release of CoD 4: Modern Warfare in 2007. This title marked a change of setting – from Word War II to modern-day warfare.
The game also popularised a new system of progression that enabled players to unlock new equipment and weapons as players levelled up. This system was introduced in multiplayer mode changing the way players engaged with the game.
Another key development for Call of Duty 20th Anniversary was the introduction of Zombies. This multiplayer mode pitted the 250 million players worldwide against zombies adding a whole level of challenge and excitement to the game.
Over the years, the CoD series has continued to innovate with titles such as CoD Black Ops introducing branching choices and storylines and Advanced Warfare, which introduced futuristic combat and exosuits.
Not to forget the introduction of a free-to-play battle royale mode in Call of Duty Warzone introduced in 2020 that changed gaming and attracted millions of players to the franchise.
Call of Duty 20th Anniversary: Looking to the Future
As Call of Duty celebrates its 20th anniversary, the franchise shows no signs of slowing down. On November 10th 2023, the franchise will release Modern Warfare III then in Spring 2024, you can join 45 million fans who pre-registered for Call of Duty Warzone Mobile.
The games will feature Battle Royal maps – Rebirth and Verdansk Islands along with Battle Pass integration and shared progression. Additionally, they will feature an authentic multiplayer experience including maps like Shoot House and Shipment to complement Battle Royale.
While many people argue that the Call of Duty franchise promotes warfare and glorifies violence, others say it’s just a game. Despite the morality stance, over the past two decades, the lifetime revenue for the franchise has been more than $30 billion. If you compare the CoD franchise with other entertainment properties out there, it ranks among the biggest.
For now, let’s celebrate Call of Duty 20th Anniversary and the franchise for revolutionizing gaming and entertaining millions of players worldwide.
Cheers to Call of Duty!
