That memo betrays a terrible lack of faith in the creators of the Call of Duty franchise (to say nothing of the fact that, fundamentally, the models of game are completely separate between COD and GH). Or maybe its a reveille. As I see it, the Call of Duty franchise is structured largely around the same fundamental model, game after game:
- new maps;
- a new game mode or two;
But nothing earth-shattering. Activision sinks millions into production of the Call of Duty franchise so, like any corporate entity, 'do it to death' becomes the mantra. Be safe. Safe formulas. No real creativity. I see this as a particularly dangerous model in a creative venture, to the franchise and disingenuous to the creators who likely want to do something new, but are constrained to 'do it to death.'
I see the work Naughty Dog is producing for the Uncharted series (these are admittedly two fundamentally different types of games) and I see innovation. I see real thinking out-of-the-box. And attention to detail I have never seen in a Call of Duty title. For example, in Uncharted 2 multi-player:
- if Drake walks over a pothole in the map, he stumbles, preventing him from lifting his gun for around 1 second.
- Characters can grab or kick one another while climbing ladders and poles.
- Maps are built with vertical combat in mind.
I see none of this thinking in the Call of Duty franchise (though there is some vertical gameplay, it's not really anything more than 2 or 3 levels of playing - its not really built for combat in that fashion). I'd respectfully urge the Call of Duty franchise to consider the following:
- perks are NOT what makes it a good game - put the focus elsewhere;
- innovate in game modes - the best games immerse players interactively.
- add something. Something excellent. See DICE's Frostbite engine for an example. The level of destructive environments is truly amazing and game-changing.
Activision prides itself on holding the first-person shooter champion title. Sales prove Activision owns it. So it's Activision's to lose. All titles end. Innovate or become obsolete.
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