Call of Duty WW2 will remain an eSports fixture (despite dropping all the tech)

There are big changes for Call of Duty WW2 this year as it heads back to World War 2. And one big question remains to be answered - how will that affect the competitive eSports scene given the huge reliance current players have on exoskeletons and boost jumps. 

I asked Sledgehammer's Michael Condrey about this, specifically whether the plan was to keep this year's COD as part of the eSports circuit. "We are," he replied firmly. "We don’t have any eSports announcements just yet but what you saw in there today applied to our release and everything we’re going to do through November and beyond."

While there was the traditional, "I can’t talk about multiplayer too much" escape for further details, Condrey did add that the studio was "going to talk a ton about it at E3." As far as the big changes will have for eSports players, he had this to say: "I think for competitors, for fans in general, a return to the strategic, grounded, fast action of multiplayer where we began... Frankly, people are going to go bananas. It’s going to be great." 

You can read more about Call of Duty WW2's multiplayer details here, but it's safe to say it's all change this year. The main multiplayer sees a return to the old school M1 Garand/Thompson action, with the phrase 'boots on the ground' repeatedly mentioned during my presentation. 

In addition to the trad Death Match stuff there's also War, a series of narrative-focused asymmetrical clashes that sounds a lot like Battlefield 1's Operations, and an as yet secret co-op mode. 

If you want more then we've a full break down of all Call of Duty WW2's new features, and a look at some of the real life heroes that have inspired COD's characters.  

Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides, which means I run GamesRadar's guides and tips content. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.