The first bit of intel is dropped on Call of Duty: WWII. The reveal trailer is below.

Today Activision and Sledgehammer Games provided first glimpses of the title that’s taking Call of Duty back to its roots – Call of Duty: WWII. We’re talking boots-on-the-ground gameplay delivering a visceral and immersive gameplay experience unlike anything we’ve seen before.

I’m very excited for this. I feel like the Call of Duty series took a major swerve in the way it delivered content and went the fantasy route. No doubt the games have been good but this is how we remember Call of Duty and I’m very happy to see it head back to its roots. I feel like it took Battlefield 1 to come and spark people’s interest to revisit the history of the World Wars.

Welcome to the Fighting First

No mission too difficult. No sacrifice too great. Duty first!

Call of Duty: WWII focuses on the actions of a squad from 1944 to 1945, but will also touch on events from 1940 to 1944 to help set the stage for the narrative and establish the characters. It takes place in the European theater of conflict, at a time when the Allied forces were finally starting to gather strength on their march into Germany. You and your squad will fight your way through occupied France, Belgium, and across the Rhine into Germany.

The Front Lines and Beyond

Highlighting the diverse ensemble cast, players will also encounter the French resistance movement, featuring strong and vibrant characters who were fighting for their homeland even after all seemed lost. The game takes players from the beaches of Normandy to the liberation of Paris and beyond, across a variety of heart-racing engagements and epic battles.

To complement today’s gameplay reveal trailer and touch on more of the action that is coming in Call of Duty: WWII, here’s a few insights on two of the missions from the Campaign:

• Hürtgen Forest: An old-growth forest on the German border where Allied forces engage in devastating encounters. In the heat of battle, the German Army uses tree burst bombs that detonate at treetop level, showering soldiers with wooden shrapnel. When your unit is zeroed-in-on by hostile artillery, the forest explodes around you as debris rains down.
• Normandy: From inside a Higgins landing boat, your squad will storm Omaha Beach in a visceral audiovisual experience unlike any D-Day landing experienced in a game to date. You and your fellow soldiers must overcome the enemy defenses to serve as the tip of the spear for the Allied invasion.