For years, Call of Duty campaigns showed the United States standing firm against foreign adversaries. That approach, however, shifted dramatically when former Activision director Glen Schofield admitted he was afraid. He has now explained why he abandoned the idea of portraying countries as villains, turning instead to corporations and private military companies.

For a long time, Call of Duty relied on a recognizable formula: America positioned as the defender of order, while foreign powers filled the role of antagonist. In World War II entries, the roles were obvious, but in more modern settings, the lines blurred. With the franchise’s worldwide growth, every narrative choice carried consequences beyond the game screen.

This pressure influenced Glen Schofield years ago. He told PC Gamer that during the press tour for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, he refused to travel to Russia after being told he would need to go “with a bodyguard.” That discomfort made him decide his next project would avoid casting any nation as the enemy, so he could travel safely anywhere.

The solution was to swap hostile governments for corporations and PMCs. That change was seen in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, where the antagonists were private military companies. “I was on a 30-day press tour for MW3. The last stop was in the United Kingdom when I got a call. They said, ‘We need you to go to Russia tomorrow for more press.’ By then, I was really tired. I asked, ‘You know who the enemies are in Modern Warfare 3, right?’ They replied, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll give you a bodyguard.’ That didn’t make me feel any better, so I didn’t go. Later at dinner with journalists, I said, ‘Alright, my next game won’t have an enemy country. I want to be able to go to those countries.’ I didn’t know yet what the substitute would be, but that’s how PMCs were born,” Schofield explained.

Source: 3djuegos