A cinematic war
The first games went for a cinematic experience, with soldiers all around the player, explosions and scripted scenes. Modern Warfare brought the series into the present day and introduced a levelling system in multiplayer that almost every shooter adopted.
Warzone
In 2020 the free-to-play battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone came out. Tens of millions of people played it during the pandemic.
Microsoft
Since the acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023, the series belongs to Microsoft. New instalments also appear on the Game Pass subscription on release day.