Medal of Honor series to reboot, leave World War II behind
Although this sounds a bit cliche, many recent games and franchises are taking the high road to make sure that they are immersing themselves in our current wars. A prime example of this phenomenon: Call of Duty. For many years, Call of Duty’s storylines focused on World War II…but I think we all know where the most recent versions of the game have gone. ( If you dont, think about why they are called Modern Warfare!)
Electronic Arts is looking to further pursue this trend with their new game. EA announced today that the new Medal of Honor, to be released in 2010 will take a more modern turn.
The Medal Of Honor series primarly foucused on stories from World War II and is widely considered to be the predecessor and inspiration behind the Call of Duty series. For the most part, Medal of Honor focused on engaging players in the biggest and most important parts of the war effort by placing them in the likes of the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge.
The 2010 Version will take place in Afghanistan and will focus on the Tier 1 Operator, an American entity working under the National Command Authority that takes on the most dangerous missions against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Greg Goodrich, the Executive Producer of Medal of Honor, says that the series needed to move forward, but that it will still preserve what made the Medal of Honor games great in the first place. ”When we first set out to reinvent Medal of Honor, we wanted to stay true to its roots of authenticity and respect for the soldier but bring it into today’s war. The Tier 1 Operator is the most disciplined, deliberate and prepared warrior on the battlefield. He is a living, breathing, precision instrument of war. We are honored to have the rare opportunity to work closely with these men to create a game that shares their experience.”
Sounds like a good deal…but will gamers find EA at fault for copying Call of Duty’s move into the 21st century? Or has EA begun to carve their own unique place in the war game field of the industry?
The full press release can be found below:
Medal of Honor is being built with a best-in-class single-player campaign. The Medal of Honor development team at EALA has been hand-selected by the studio leadership of General Manager Sean Decker, Executive Producer Greg Goodrich and Senior Creative Director Rich Farrelly. To compliment the single-player experience, EALA has enlisted the multiplayer expertise at EA DICE. This team will develop the multiplayer experience of Medal of Honor. These two studios are coming together to deliver a world-class Medal of Honorthat is poised to re-set and re-boot the franchise for a new generation.
“When we first set out to reinvent Medal of Honor, we wanted to stay true to its roots of authenticity and respect for the soldier but bring it into today’s war. The Tier 1 Operator is the most disciplined, deliberate and prepared warrior on the battlefield. He is a living, breathing, precision instrument of war.” said Greg Goodrich, Executive Producer, Medal of Honor. “We are honored to have the rare opportunity to work closely with these men to create a game that shares their experience.”
“EA has always been an advocate for telling the soldiers’ story. The new Medal of Honor follows that tradition. We felt it was important to tell the story of today’s war and today’s elite soldiers via today’s most relevant medium – videogames,” said Sean Decker, VP and General Manager of EALA. “We are so proud to bring together two powerhouse development teams to make this game a reality; EA Los Angeles and EA DICE. Medal of Honor promises to be an unforgettable entry in the modern shooter genre.”
Tune in to Spike TV’s 2009 Video Game Awards on Saturday, December 12 at 8pm PST for a world-premier first-look at Medal of Honor.
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