Summary
WhileCall of Dutyhas been dominated by its large sub-franchises likeModern WarfareandBlack Opsin recent years, there are many one-off entries to the IP that are deserving of more attention. One of these titles is 2014’sAdvanced Warfare, which marked Sledgehammer Games' first major foray into the world ofCoD, with the game featuring a fascinating take on near-future combat.
The concept of a sequel toCall of Duty: Advanced Warfarehas been thrown around a lot since the game’s release, and there are a lot of recent indicators that this could be a real possibility for the near future. Despite this glimmer of hope, the single-player narrative ofAdvanced Warfarehas not aged well due to the presence of Kevin Spacey as Jonathon Irons, one of the most integral characters in the game’s campaign. Of course, another entry toAdvanced Warfarecould still be a fantastic project, but it may be better off distancing itself from the main events of the first game.
Advanced Warfare Should Get the Same Reboot Treatment as Modern Warfare
Thestory ofAdvanced Warfaresaw Kevin Spacey’s Jonathon Ironsas the CEO of the Atlas Corporation, a private military group that has risen to a dominant level of power and global influence. Using advanced technology to rewrite the possibilities of warfare and combat survivability, Atlas is considered as the most powerful military contractor on Earth, with Irons reaping the political rewards of his position as CEO.
At the time of release, the casting of Kevin Spacey as Irons was considered a serious coup forCall of Duty, arguably being the most high-profile actor to be cast in aCoDentry. SinceKevin Spacey’s sexual misconduct allegationspopped up he was effectively blacklisted from the industry, which made a potential re-appearance by the actor in anAdvanced Warfaresequel extremely unlikely.
It seems clear that Sledgehammer Games is interested in a sequel, however, withreferences toAdvanced Warfarerecently appearing inWarzoneand rumors speculating that Sledgehammer was focusing onAdvanced Warfare 2before being told to createModern Warfare 3instead. The controversy behindAdvanced Warfare’s antagonist does not have to bury this idea, and a reboot could be the best way forward for another entry to the sub-franchise.
Advanced Warfare Can Perfectly Re-Design Itself with a Reboot
Likethe recently rebootedModern Warfaretrilogy, a fresh take onAdvanced Warfarecould feature many of the same characters and factions as the original game, but with different likenesses, motivations, and narrative purposes. This would allow a new actor to portray Jonathon Irons at the very least, distancing a potential reboot from any controversy while making its narrative unpredictable to even the most dedicatedAdvanced Warfarefans.
With it being likely thatCall of Dutywill soon move away from its recent focus onModern WarfareandBlack Ops, it seems that many fans want to re-experiencethe high-octane movement and ability systems ofAdvanced Warfare. While it is true that the original game is by proxy marred by some controversy, a reboot of the sub-franchise instead of a direct sequel could easily breathe new life into an IP that still has a lot of potential in the stories that it can tell.
