Call Of Duty Nearly Had A Completely Different Name
Call of Duty had a real vengeance for a pre-existing competitor, as the game nearly went under a completely different name.
27th Feb 2023 17:38
Infinity Ward | EA
Call Of Duty Nearly Had A Completely Different Name
Call of Duty had a real vengeance for a pre-existing competitor, as the game nearly went under a completely different name.
27th Feb 2023 17:38
Infinity Ward | EA
Believe it or not, Call of Duty hasn't always been the most successful shooter game on the market.
Before the dominance that ensued after back-to-back blockbuster titles like Modern Warfare 2 and World at War, EA had profited from shooter games.
But without the influence of EA - and a clear vengeance to take it down - the Call of Duty franchise could have turned out much differently, including the iconic name we've grown to become accustomed to.
Call of Duty Was Originally Codenamed 'Medal of Honor Killer'
According to an artist who worked for Infinity Ward at the time of the original Call of Duty development, the original Call of Duty drew quite a lot of inspiration from Medal of Honor.
Justin Thomas claims that the love for Medal of Honor including CoD's James Bond approach to a World War II game. The comparisons are so clear, Thomas even says the codename for Call of Duty 1 was "MOH Killer."
At the time of development, Medal of Honor: Unground, Allied Assualt, Frontline, and Allied Assualt Spearhead, all populated the market, although Frontline would have been Activision's main target - having been the only console game.
Did Call of Duty Kill Medal of Honor?
With Call of Duty's legacy earmarked from the start, it was clear to see that the developers' vision was to monopolise the genre, and that they have done.
In fact, Call of Duty's impact has the entire gaming world in a frenzy with the prospect of monopolising the industry and even the tech world too. Microsoft's potential deal with Activision is being pressed underneath the microscopes of countless governing bodies.
Medal of Honor failed to put up much of a fight, and even when the series was rebooted in 2020, Metacritic scores of 67/100 - which even seems generous - proved that the game had been left well behind in the shooter world.
Instead, we could look at it like Medal of Honor passed the torch to Call of Duty like a proud father, rather than having been usurped. Still, it's fair to say that both couldn't live harmoniously and there was only one winner...
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
