How Call of Duty Reinvented the FPS Genre with Cinematic Campaigns, Progression Systems, and Annual Releases

Created cinematic, scripted campaign moments that made players feel like they were in an interactive war movie. Set pieces like the AC-130 gunship mission brought Hollywood blockbuster excitement.

Used AI squadmates to generate a sense of camaraderie and teamwork, making the player feel like part of a larger war effort rather than a lone hero.

Modern Warfare revolutionized progression, loadouts, and killstreaks, providing new depths of customization and rewarding progression loops that are now standard in multiplayer.

Established the annualized Call of Duty release model with different studios rotating each year, cementing CoD as a cultural phenomenon.

Its hugely successful formula of bombastic campaign moments and addictive multiplayer has influenced the FPS genre ever since, with many games emulating its cinematic style and progression systems.