A remastered Call of Duty series could happen

How do you feel about remastered games? I am in two minds. In some cases, like that of Final Fantasy X HD, I can understand – I mean, the original did come out around 14 years ago, and perhaps a spit and polish was due for a new generation of gamers. Then there are reworks for more recent titles like Tomb Raider and The Last of Us, both of which launched in 2013. Beyond their new “60 fps and 1080p” features, I can’t help feeling that their remasters are nothing more than quick cash-grabs. Did we really need them to be re-released so soon after their initial launch? Probably not. Now there’s another dilemma for me to mull over – that of Call of Duty. Don’t worry, no series remake has been announced, but it is something that hasn’t been ruled out either.

This is according to Activision Publishing CEO, Eric Hirshberg, who shared the following in an interview with Game Informer (via PC Gamer):

“If done well, I think [remasters] can be great. You talk about nostalgia, and people have such connection to the games they love from the last cycle. They want to see what it would look like if someone did it right for this cycle. It’s always the opportunity cost, meaning we need every body we can get to make the content we’re already committed to for our new games. It’s always a matter of finding great people to do that work. I would love to play Modern Warfare 1 or the original Black Ops. There’s certainly a deep well there. No announcements, but it’s something we talk about and think about a lot”

So, nothing solid, but if they’re talking about it, it’s something we may see in future. While I am quick to condemn Call of Duty along with nearly everybody else, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a soft spot for some of the franchise titles. The original Modern Warfare and Black Ops for example really were awesome! That being said, I don’t know if they really deserve a re-release.

Still, it’s something people probably want. In an article I wrote late last week, where Microsoft asked gamers what Xbox 360 games they wanted to be made available on the Xbox One, 4 Call of Duty titles made it into the top 10. Black Ops II, released only in 2012, has the highest number of votes. I have a feeling that if it were to receive a polished version, it would sell incredibly well. What would sell even better however, would be a package encompassing maybe all of the recent titles in one. Even I would have trouble not coughing up money for a complete collection like that.

What I would really want to see to be honest though, is a remake or bundle of the original World War 2 Call of Duty titles. Those are old enough, and perhaps deserve a spit and polish more than anything else.

Last Updated: June 23, 2015