Hunting down your enemies on the bustling streets of Amsterdam, along the U.S.-Mexico border or in a Middle Eastern fishing village is just part of the intense action in the latest Call of Duty video game.
The Friday release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 continues a nearly two-decade run for California-based Activision Blizzard's wildly popular military shooting game franchise. New installments of the game can rival Hollywood's biggest blockbusters in how much they earn on their opening weekend.
But the battle this time is also happening off-screen. Call of Duty is at the center of a corporate tug-of-war between Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation over Microsoft's pending $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard.
The weapons you get to play with vary a lot between games, ranging from large and heavy to small a subtle. But we're not here to talk about weapons, we're here to talk about ammo. Here are the five strangest types of ammo we could find in video games.
“Microsoft would have full ownership of one of the most valuable franchises in console gaming,” said Joost van Dreunen, a lecturer on the business of games at New York University's Stern School of Business. “And naturally, Sony does not want that or like that because it will cost them business.”
People are also reading…
Microsoft has been working to get approval from antitrust regulators in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere to complete its January agreement to acquire the video game giant. But it’s been trailed around the world by objections from Sony, which is afraid of losing access to what it describes as a “must-have” game title.
Among those listening to Sony's concerns are antitrust regulators in the United Kingdom who last month escalated their investigation into whether Microsoft could make Call of Duty and other titles exclusive to its Xbox platform or “otherwise degrade its rivals’ access” by delaying releases or imposing licensing price increases.
“These titles require thousands of game developers and several years to complete, and there are very few other games of similar calibre or popularity,” said a September report from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.
At the Southern California studios of Infinity Ward, the division of Activision Blizzard responsible for creating the new game, the Microsoft-Sony fight has been secondary to game developers' more pressing worries about making sure their newest release satisfies legions of diehard fans.
“It’s always tough when you have something this popular and everybody’s got an opinion on what it should be, what it shouldn’t be,” said Jack O'Hara, the game's director.
Work on Modern Warfare 2 started before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered Infinity Ward's headquarters outside of Los Angeles, forcing developers to be more creative in how they drew the game's characters, weaponry, motions and scenery and recorded its voices. It was the same studio that in 2003 launched the original Call of Duty, a first-person shooter set during World War II.
Mark Grigsby, the studio's animation director, first joined in 2005. He said he was feeling “a little bit of anxiety” ahead of Friday's release about how players would react to tweaks affecting the feel of the virtual weapons they're carrying, such as how they recoil after a shot is fired.
“Every iteration of the product, you’re never able to get everything that you wanted to do done in that one edition. So you’re always trying to up your game,” Grigsby said. “It takes an army and a talented army.”
The games have gradually grown more visually realistic, interactive and multiplayer in the past two decades. They've also become more contemporary, starting with 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which took the fighting to modern-day settings in the Middle East and Ukraine. Friday's release is a sequel to a popular 2019 game that was itself a refresh of that 2007 game of the same name.
Studio executives said they consulted advisers and experts before incorporating storylines and imagery from the politically-charged U.S.-Mexico border wall, as well as a collection of settings that are meant to evoke a Mexican town and a fictional Middle Eastern country. Ukraine, where the company has some employees affected by Russia's war, is notably absent.
“We want to have that realism and feel like it’s a world that we know and it’s not outside of the realm,” O’Hara said. “However, obviously, we’re all impacted by current affairs. And so we always want to stay away from something that just feels glib or just not right, essentially. The goal is not to profiteer off of anything.”
Infinity Ward executives declined to talk about their pending takeover by Microsoft. But Microsoft is increasingly speaking out about what would be the largest-ever tech acquisition, trying to assure regulators that it will keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation “for at least several more years” beyond its current contract with Sony.
While Brazil and Saudi Arabia have already approved the deal, it still awaits important decisions from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and authorities in the U.K. and the European Union. Microsoft told investors Tuesday that is still expects the deal to close by the first half of next year. But it's possible regulators could impose conditions that force Microsoft to keep access open to Call of Duty for a longer time and ensure that its rivals aren't getting a lesser version.
“Is it really that important for Sony on a financial basis? Probably not. But it’s mostly the draw of having all these people come to their platform,” van Dreunen said.
And while important to console-makers and the digital subscription services they are building, Call of Duty and its fanbase is just a portion of what Microsoft would get from taking over Activision Blizzard, which owns dozens of titles including popular mobile games like Candy Crush. Van Dreunen said while the attention is on the Call of Duty dispute, that mobile expansion might be the real “gravity point” for Microsoft's massive merger.
Seven summer games you may have missed
Neon White
What exactly are demons doing in heaven? And why were you chosen to help eliminate them?
In Neon White, you are a sinner plucked from hell to do God's dirty work. During the 10 days of Judgment competition, you face off against other sinners to try and win a chance to stay in heaven by slaying the most demons. Your opponents are individuals who feel familiar from your living days, but you can’t quite recall how you know them.
A speedrun puzzle shooter, you want to dispose of demons as quickly as possible to receive additional perks. Levels are repeatable, and the faster you complete them, the more you learn. You’ll start each level with a sword, but along the way you pick up additional weapons in the form of cards. Use these cards as the weapons on it - such as a pistol or machine gun - or discard to use its secondary power. Some cards allow you to double jump on discard, while others act as bombs that blow up enemies, or propel you forward.
Neon white is a fast-paced anime disguised as a game. It’s available on PC and Nintendo Switch.
Circus Electrique
It’s a lovely evening at the circus, what could go wrong? It turns out, quite a lot, when most Londoners who are not attending are turned into ruthless steampunk killers.
You are a reporter who is sent out to investigate “the maddening” and find out what happened to London. You work with your uncle who runs the circus and his performers to try and find the cause. During a day, players recruit new circus performers, create a show, rest performers who need it, and decide who to take on adventures to find answers.The performers ward off residents using their unique skills. Escape artists, strong men, clowns and fire blowers all offer different skill sets in battling “the Vicious,” as the local newspaper calls them.
Circus Electrique is a turn-based role-playing game mixed with a circus management sim. For board game enthusiasts, it feels like a digital worker placement game. The art, music and voice acting all impress, creating an enjoyable experience.
Circus Electrique is available digitally on Xbox, Playstation, Switch and PC.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
If you played the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game - either when it came out or in a retro arcade - this side-scrolling beat ‘em up will have a familiar feel. Shredder’s Revenge plays on that nostalgia, similar to another recent game in the genre, Streets of Rage 4.
Like Streets of Rage 4, Shredder’s Revenge builds upon a classic formula to make a fun game for a new generation. You can play as any of the turtles, Splinter or April O’Neil. Yes, you can play as the journalist, and she is wonderful. Beat up enemies along the way as you foil Shredder’s master plan.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is available on Xbox (including Game Pass), PlayStation, Switch and PC.
Stray
If you ever wanted a realistic cat simulator, Stray is the game for you.
In Stray, you play a cat living in a dystopian cyberpunk future world filled with robot people. You share a common enemy in small fast-moving robots called Zurks. Can you help the robot people find their way back to the overworld?
Stray is a puzzle game, where you jump, explore and knock items off ledges to move the story forward. There is a dedicated meow button, and places to lay down and take a nap along your journey. Read our full review.
Stray is available on PC and PlayStation.
Norco
Something strange is going on in Norco, Louisiana. Can you find out the cause?
Norco is a point-and-click interactive story about a girl who grows up in - and escapes - an oil town located near New Orleans. She returns home years after her mother’s death to try and determine what happened to her brother. Along the way, she runs into old friends and acquaintances. Some will help her along her journey, others hinder.
This science fiction mystery won the initial Tribeca Game Award in 2021, before its release this year. The pixel art design and haunting soundtrack mix well with intelligent dialogue. Norco is more story than game, and thought-provoking in its execution.
Evil Dead: The Game
A groovy multiplayer game set in the Evil Dead universe.
Evil Dead is a player versus player game, where four players try to defeat a demon, played by another (4v1). It is a similar playstyle as other horror games, like Dead by Daylight or Friday the 13th: The Game. As a hero, you try to send the demon player back to hell. As the demon, you use minions and invisibility to create fear in the heroes, making them slip up in their quest.
The draw of Evil Dead is it features scenarios and characters from the Evil Dead movies and television show. Bruce Campbell reprises his role of Ash Williams, as do other actors from the series.
Evil Dead offers a single player mode, but shines when you can play with a group of friends. It is available on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.
Steelrising
In this alternate history game, Louis XVI has created a mechanical army to suppress the French Revolution. You play as Marie Antoinette’s robot bodyguard Aegis, who is sent to battle the army in this Soulslike action role playing game.
Enemies prove challenging, but the beautiful world created in Steelrising makes this adventure enjoyable. Steelrising is available digitally on PC, Xbox and PlayStation.
