Last week, a new kickstarter campaign popped up for a game called Battalion 1944. According to the game’s page, Battalion 1944, which is the first game developed by Bulkhead interactive, “recaptures the intensity of classic multiplayer shooters, revitalising the WW2 genre on PC & Console using Unreal Engine 4.”
Revitalizing is an interesting choice of word, but fans of WWII shooters understand that the development of a shooter that takes place during the Second Great War is nothing short of a resurrection attempt.
It’s a bit crazy to think that less than a decade ago the conversation surrounding first-person shooters was that the World War II setting was becoming oversaturated. Games like Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Brothers in Arms make up just a portion of the list of games depicting the conflict that were developed between 2002-2009.
It’s been almost a decade since the heaviest influx of World War II games have come to market, and outside of the re-imagination of events in Wolfenstein, the era is virtually untouched on 8th generation consoles.
Prior to the announcement of Treyarch’s latest game, rumors swirled that the developer may return to the Second Great War. With the rumors came a sense of excitement from people who were pining for the day that Call of Duty would return to its roots, but alas, Call of Duty: Black Ops III released with futuristic weapons and exo-suit abilities.
Now, with most of the major first-person shooters either going for a grounded modern day experience or a futuristic imagining of warfare, the question still stands. Is it time to return to war torn Europe and Asia, and get a gritty retelling of World War II?
The existing IP such as Call of Duty and Battlefield would probably have a difficult time stepping into the time machine and going back to the 1940s without alienating some of its existing fanbase. For instance, the entire experience of Call of Duty has evolved since World at War was released in 2008. From Modern Warfare 2 to the latest release of Black Ops III, Call of Duty is now predicated on hyper-intense pace of play, verticality, and special abilities that would not fit well in the World War II setting.
While fans of Call of Duty clamored over the prospect of a return to 1940’s Europe, these were fans that probably had experience of World at War from 2008. The series has grown in scale, popularity, and pace so much in the last 8 years, and has picked up many fans along the way.
All of this means that the greatest chance for “revitalising the WW2 genre on PC & consoles” rest firmly on the shoulders of those brave enough to take a step out from what has become status quo of futuristic shooters. The market decided 8 years ago that it had its fill of bouncing betties and M1 Garands, and only the market can decide that it is time to bring them back.
As evidenced by the way Bulkhead Interactive talks about their project, World War II shooters are a passion that they take incredibly seriously. The devil is in the details and Battalion 1944 seems to be a couple steps ahead. From scanning iconic landmarks in key cities to recording audio of WWII weapons firing and running out of ammo, passion project is the best word to describe this kickstarter campaign.
That is exactly what the genre needs. Oversaturation rarely happens as a result of too many good products coming out in a particular market. It comes when people, or better yet companies, try to latch onto the proverbial coattails of a genre and ride the wave of hype around it to success.
There is no better time than now to bring back the World War II setting. That bitter taste of release after release has finally been washed out of the mouths of gamers and has since been replaced with futuristic shooters and zombies. The grounded, realistic experience may not work in an upcoming Call of Duty release, but the excitement that surrounded the rumor of World at War II is indicative that at least a segment of the audience can get behind a return. Not to mention, the fact that Batallion 1944 was fully funded after only 2 days.
These large, established franchises will have a difficult time going back, but honestly, they don’t need to. It isn’t an answer of “either/or” but rather “both/and”. The legacy of great games rooted in the history of mid-20th century warfare can be carried on by those that Call of Duty and Medal of Honor inspired to make games to begin with. CoD can continue to focus on futuristic gameplay while new studios take us back to Normandy.
Do you think there needs to be a return to World War II shooters? Could an existing franchise step back into it? Let us know in the comments below.
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