The story behind Call of Duty: Vanguard going back to the Second World War

With the upcoming Call of Duty: Vanguard, Sledgehammer Games and Activision are going back to the World War II setting, last visited in 2017’s WWII.

Call of Duty, while originating as a World War II-era military shooter, has visited multiple locations and time periods over the years. From the Guerrilla Warfare set during the Cold War to the space voyages in the 22nd century, the series has left its footprint on multiple occasions.

After the first three games, Call of Duty shifted its focus towards different timeframes but revisited World War II multiple times over the years. From 2008’s World at War to the most recent 2017’s WWII, the Second World War has become one of the iconic settings for Call of Duty games over the years.

Join the #BattleofVerdansk and experience the worldwide reveal of Call of Duty: Vanguard📅 - 8/19🕥 - 10:30am PT📍 - Verdansk pic.twitter.com/N0efSm5nOA

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 16, 2021

---

Why Sledgehammer Games is returning to the Second World War for Call of Duty: Vanguard

Sledgehammer Games’ Call of Duty: WWII faced a fair bit of criticism for its over-reliance on supply drops and unfair monetization. However, the developers at Sledgehammer Games were praised for building a gritty and realistic depiction of the Second World War.

Call of Duty: Vanguard does not continue the story of Daniels and his band of brothers; it rather brings in a new set of diverse characters to showcase the origin of the first Task Force.

Call of Duty: #VanguardWorldwide Reveal on August 19 in #Warzone pic.twitter.com/DQTqaaLsF8

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 16, 2021

When asked about the reasons behind revisiting the second World War set for Call of Duty: Vanguard but leaving behind Daniels and his associates, Josh Bridge, the Game Director of Call of Duty: Vanguard at Sledgehammer Games, said:

"Any game that we make comes with absolute passion, and the team always wants to go after something that we want to build a game experience out of. For us, we’re huge fans of the era. We also found that, based on the experiences that we’ve seen and found before, we felt like we were onto something new here that just hasn’t been delivered before. It’s a different take of WWII that still honors and respects the era and the battles, but this notion of the beginning and the birth of Special Forces is exciting. We also felt like this was exciting as a baton toss to the Call of Duty franchise – this was the origins of it all type of feeling. Like, what were the origins of Task Force 141, for example."

Call of Duty: Vanguard is shaping up to be one of the best Call of Duty games of recent years. The game launches on November 5, 2021 for all major consoles and on PC via Battle.net.