Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. Except, of course, this being Call of Duty, the breach is likely to see plenty more action in the coming years.
Yes, Activision has announced the 2014 instalment in its annual first-person shooter series. Subtitled Advanced Warfare, the game is due out on 4 November, and will be developed by San Francisco-based studio Sledgehammer, which previously worked on Modern Warfare 3. And the Shakespearean reference in the opening line is not merely a flourish: the game will feature Kevin Spacey, artistic director of the Old Vic, as its lead antagonist. It is not the respected actor's first video game appearance – he also starred in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 tie-in with the movie Superman Returns.
Set, it seems, slightly in the future, Advanced Warfare will feature Spacey as the head of a private military contractor (PMC) which goes rogue and picks a fight with the US government – with no doubt explosive consequences.
From the trailer it looks like the game, which has dramatic set pieces on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, has an emphasis on bleeding-edge military hardware. Soldiers wear exoskeletons which provide extra armour and enhanced physical abilities – including the ability to rocket jump and scale vertical surfaces. A little like recently released Xbox One shooter, Titanfall. Cloaking devices, robotic tanks, portable cover points and drones also make appearences amid the gunfire and explosions.
Originally Activision intended to dripfeed the news of its next blockbuster via snippets of information. On Thursday it announced a teaser site, and a date for a fuller revelation: 4 May. It also released a mini-documentary on real-life PMCs and their role in military situations across the world.
However, it seems details of the announcement were leaked during the night, and so Activision has launched a trailer and release date early. US news site Polygon has suggested that the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC will be the key platforms for the title.
The Call of Duty series has sold over 100m copies since the first title arrived in 2003. The games reached their peak of popularity with Call of Duty: Black Ops II in 2012, which shifted over 7.5m copies on its launch day and reached $1bn in revenue after just two weeks. Last year's title, Call of Duty: Ghosts fared less well, although has still sold almost 20m copies, making it the biggest selling titles of 2013 after Grand Theft Auto V.
According to Activision, Call of Duty has around 40m active players, although some have criticised the series for its glorification of military action, gung-ho patriotism, cultural stereotyping and derivative campaign narratives. It is thought that Sledgehammer is keen to make a clean break with this title, introducing new ideas and innovations – although that was very much the aim with Black Ops II (which introduced strategy sequences) and Ghosts (which introduced a combat dog).
Activision is still expected to announce further details on Sunday at 4pm UK time.
