It’s Pre-E3 and anticipation is in the air. There’s no doubt that Sledgehammer Games want Call of Duty: WWII to generate hype before they take the main stage at E3 2017. With that in mind, Sledgehammer held a Q&A session on various sources of social media in hopes to inform and preview gamers of what’s to come.
Both co-founders of Sledgehammer Games, Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, hosted the event. They address questions focusing on the campaign and multiplayer mode. They don’t spoil every detail but they’ve exposed just enough to keep us occupied until the expo. Check out the full Q&A event below.
@Predadente: Are they covering all theatres of war, or just Europe?
Glen Schofield: We focused on the European theatre of war, because we wanted to deliver a deeply personal story that conveyed what it was like to be a soldier in those ranks at that time. In order to tell that story, we needed to focus on a tight-knit group that started together, fought together, and struggled together over an extended period of time.
Which led us to The Fighting First, perhaps the most famous infantry division in all of U.S. military history. Their story was a perfect narrative vehicle because it covered a massive amount of ground in the European theatre and they were involved in some of the most iconic battles of WWII. We wanted to tell that story, and we wanted to tell it well.
@Keith_NRX5: During the campaign will you stay as one character, or will you go through multiple?
Glen Schofield: The story follows Red Daniels and his squad. Red grew up on a farm in a small town, and his journey is one of personal growth that takes us through some of the most dramatic and iconic moments of the war. He is a young recruit who is seeing his first real combat during the invasion of Normandy. While the main story will follow Red, you will play as a few other characters Red encounters, including a female French resistance fighter named Rousseau.
Josh Chapman (via Facebook): What sort of unique single player features will there be? Willl we be interacting with the environment and and vehicles in a meaningful way during the campaign?
Glen Schofield: Good question. In our story, you’ll notice a big emphasis on teamwork. You will learn to rely on your squadmates, and they will rely on you. For example, you’ll see features like ammo toss and health packs, and we’ll be revealing other new innovations as we get closer to launch. Furthermore, the mechanics and physics of the vehicles will be more realistic. AI is another area of focus, and with the new squad mechanics, we wanted smarter characters that interact with you in a more realistic and meaningful way.
@KempskiWWE: Will we see a variety of nations in multiplayer?
Michael Condrey: Yes. World War II was a global conflict that affected nearly everyone on the planet. Men and women of all nationalities contributed to the effort in many important ways. Our game showcases a broad and diverse ensemble cast in all modes of play.
@MrsNewbhero: Will there be any new game modes in multiplayer? Or maybe even bringing back s&r or blitz?
Michael Condrey: In developing the combat for Call of Duty: WWII, the key word was “grounded.” We looked at it like a return to the roots of the series, a chance to revisit what made Call of Duty a cultural milestone – an old-school battle that takes advantage of new gaming technology.I’m super excited to talk more about multiplayer, but it’s not time just yet. What I can say is, expect authentic WWII weapons, iconic battle locations, and a tonne of new ways to compete. We’re even working on a new way for players to interact in a social space that is brand new to Call of Duty.
Also, one of the most exciting new modes in our multiplayer experience is War Mode, which we can talk about a bit. The goal with War Mode was to create new ways to immerse players in iconic, PVP WW2 battles. War Mode is just that, a narrative based mode where Allied and Axis soldiers clash in team-driven assault & defend gameplay in the fight for strategic objectives. We partnered with Raven Software for development on War Mode. It’s a fun new mode, and an important component of bringing our overall vision to life. We couldn’t be more excited to be revealing several of our new multiplayer features for the first time at E3.
@COD_INTEL100: What will the create-a-class system be in multiplayer? And will we see never-before-seen perks?
Michael Condrey: We’re days away from E3 2017 and the team at Sledgehammer Games can hardly wait to share more on our multiplayer plans. We’re particularly looking forward to revealing more on Divisions. Divisions fundamentally redefines how players invest in their Multiplayer soldier career. Replacing the create-a-class system, players choose from five iconic World War II divisions each with specific basic combat training, division training and weapon skills. We think it’ll intrigue Call of Duty series veterans, and we can’t wait for our fans to see it for themselves.
Keep your eyes on Call of Duty: WWII at E3 2017.
We've got the full list of Call of Duty: WWII trophies - check the list for guides to unlocking them.