By Brian Belko

The trailer for another Call of Duty game, this one being developed by Sledgehammer Games, leaked online. Called Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, the game will be set in the year 2054. Naturally, that means that futuristic technology will play a major role in the game, but the studio heads at Sledgehammer are not calling the game science fiction. That is a good sign for gamers who want to peak into the future of warfare, but not in a completely outlandish way. In fact, the talented team at Sledgehammer appear to have conducted detailed research into future weaponry and technology in order to deliver a believable and authentic story.

Familiar Vehicles

After watching the trailer for the upcoming release, it was easy to make the mental leap from the technology that is common in today’s world with the tech being used in the game. Take one vehicle that was shown in the trailer: an aircraft with double rotors that bore a striking resemblance to the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey that has flown battle operations in the Middle East. Such similarities were common throughout the trailer for those with a good eye for observation.

Other familiar sightings within the trailer included the use of small, hand-launched drones and weaponry that stayed firmly within the realm of gunpowder and lead. While more futuristic weapons may be included in the game, they were not included in this initial trailer.
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Near-Future Soldier Suits

Another major feature of the trailer were the use of exoskeleton suits by the soldiers. The suits provided the soldiers with capabilities outside the range of what an unassisted human soldier could accomplish, most notably boosted strength and greatly enhanced jumping ability. This was another piece of technology that is not difficult to imagine by 2054.

This is not to say that the entire trailer was completely rooted in realistic or easily imaginable technology. Cloaking technology that made entire aircraft vanish into thin air and hover bikes are just two examples.

All-New Settings?

As far as the setting for CoD: Advanced Warfare goes, it was no surprise that the game seemed to offer a variety. One seems to be the Golden Gate Bridge in California, being destroyed by some unseen weapon or event. It was impossible to tell from the trailer whether the entire game takes place in a near future version of the United States, but CoD games have a reputation for taking players on globe-trotting adventures, so anything is possible.

By collaborating with military experts, futurists, and scientists, the developers at Sledgehammer Games have done their due diligence in crafting an authentic and realistic game. It was obvious from the trailer that all their hard work has already began to pay off. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare takes place in an entirely new universe. It has no relation to past Call of Duty titles, which is nothing but good news for gamers who want something fresh from this franchise.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will release on November 14, 2014 for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Preorders are already being accepted.