Call of Duty: WWII’s Multiplayer: Not Reinvented, but Certainly Reborn

The upcoming installment in the contentious but beloved Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: WWII, is on the war path (ha) touting its approach to online multiplayer. While the new campaign set in the 1940s has been teased briefly, Sledgehammer (Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare), has released a slew of promotional videos and flythroughs showing off their swing at the series’ heritage presence as a multiplayer phenomenon.

While the franchise has undergone a barrage of scrutiny for its near abandonment of tradition and modern combat settings (Advanced Warfare, Infinite Warfare, etc.), the team at Sledgehammer are experiencing some degree of positive reception and excitement simply based on the fact that they are bringing the game back to its “roots.” This is good, and this is exciting, and we even have well-monitored but optimistic expectations of the game. However, it seems that the developer is branding its multiplayer component of the game’s return to the Second World War as a “reinvention” of the series’ approach to multiplayer. With the Beta active this week, I’ve determined that Call of Duty: WWII’s multiplayer is less of a “reinvention,” and more of a “rebirth.” We have, after all, been here many times before.

By rebirth, I mean that there are definitely new pieces that make it feel new, fresh, and fun, but it also feels incredibly reminiscent of previous games. That is a good thing, of course, because rebirth also means that the game truly does feel like we’ve traveled back to the early days of the series. There are of course, plenty of features that really bring the multiplayer to a perfectly new place, including but not limited to new game modes, a brand new player progression system, and even a social space. It’s sort of like Call of Duty 2, but remastered and effectively modernized. I think that plenty of other publications would agree.

Also, if you haven’t played the Beta, War Mode is the best new addition to the game. It involves teams of 12 facing off for different objectives, one example being the defense of a tank progressing to a target. While it’s very Battlefield/Battlefront/Overwatch-esque, it is a great touch that brings some much needed context/content to the series’ aged multiplayer.

To wrap up these brief thoughts, players can certainly expect a new framework during their time with Call of Duty: WWII’s multiplayer experience, but is not exactly a revolutionary set of changes. CoD is simply being reborn into familiar yet modernized state, and that may be the first big win for the upcoming game.

Call of Duty: WWII launches on November 7th for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

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Ben Stembridge, Editor-in-Chief

Ben leads the reviews and news coverage for Game Chop. He also offers opinions on games and the industry, covering a wide range of genres and platforms. Ben especially enjoys discussions on game narratives, design styles, and independent titles.

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