But nothing ever came of it
Call of Dutyhas always tackled relatively modern conflicts. Some titles may take us to the past, but never so far that guns haven’t existed yet. That’s been the one underlying constant ofCall of Dutyall these years: Guns.
Eight years ago, there was a chance all that could’ve changed, at least for one game. According to a report fromGamesRadar+, developer Vicarious Visions (ofSkylandersfame as of late) created a prototype for aCall of Dutythat was set in ancient Rome. It was tentatively titledCall of Duty: Roman Wars.
The above-embedded video goes into a good amount of detail about the project. The demo featured a soldier in Julius Caesar’s Tenth Legion but it would’ve shifted protagonists and eventually included a playable Caesar. Gameplay was going to be a mix of first- and third-person combat;Gears of Waris said to be a good parallel for the third-person stuff, whileCondemned: Criminal Originswas inspiration for the first-person melee.
This venture was born out of an urge from Activision for its studios to try something experimental with theCall of Dutyname. The series was a runaway success at that point, and the publisher was looking for any extra way to capitalize on that.
As it turns out, Vicarious Visions may have gotten a bit too experimental. The prototype got all the way up to Activision president Bobby Kotick who reportedly liked it but had concerns about using theCall of Dutybranding. Obviously, nothing ever came of it.
Vicarious Visions did get some degree of validation a couple years later when Crytek’sRyse: Son of Romewas announced. It was proof that someone was interested in funding a war game that wasn’t future-focused, and as a new console launch title nonetheless. As for Activision, well, it’s apparently not comfortable turning back the clock quite that far.
The incredible story of Roman Wars: The lost Call of Duty game[GamesRadar+]
