Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare: Everything we know so far

The latest entry in Activision's blockbuster Call of Duty series, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, was announced last week. Now that the dust has settled (for now at least), we've rounded up everything we know about the game ahead of its release across consoles and PC on November 4.

Developers and platforms:

• Sledgehammer Games -- (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
• Studio to be named later -- (Xbox 360, PS3)
• There's no word on Wii U or other Nintendo platforms.

Release Date:

November 4

Commentary:

Sledgehammer Games previously described Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare as "ambitious" and "creative," while Activision says it is "perhaps the best Call of Duty game ever made."

Franchise Firsts:

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the first entry in the series developed on the franchise's new three-year production cycle. The extra development time has allowed Sledgehammer Games to make a game with an "array of technical advancements" that add up to a "near photorealistic world unlike any Call of Duty before," according to Activision. It's also the first time Sledgehammer Games, which co-developed 2011's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with Infinity Ward, is leading development on a Call of Duty title

Story:

Here's how Activision sets up the story for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare:

"Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare jolts players forward in a groundbreaking experience that's ripped-from-the-headlines-of-tomorrow, envisioning a future where both technology and tactics have evolved to usher in a new era of combat for the franchise. Set in the year 2054, a private military corporation (PMC) has emerged with the power to rescue humanity from a devastated world struggling to rebuild after a global attack on its military and infrastructure. You are the advanced soldier. Empowered with new, cutting-edge exoskeleton abilities, technological advancements, and high-tech gear, players join the ranks of a highly-trained, specialized unit committed to restoring order in a state of advanced warfare."

Video Coverage:

Game Details*:

• All DLC will come to Xbox first.
• Academy Award winning actor Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, 21) plays Jonathon Irons, the CEO of a Private Military Company called Atlas Corporation. He says he was "very excited" about joining the game when he was originally approached.
• The game runs on a new and unspecified game engine.
• The story opens with a catastrophic event that Sledgehammer Games cofounder Michael Condrey describes as "like a global 9/11." There's little more to go on, but major cities on multiple continents are affected by some kind of terrorism perpetrated by a terrorist organization called KVA.
• It is set in 2054.
• You play a character named Private Mitchell, who is voiced by prolific voice actor Troy Baker. You may know Baker for his recent roles in The Last of Us (Joel), BioShock Infinite (Booker), and Batman: Arkham Origins (The Joker). Mitchell only speaks during cutscenes; never during gameplay.
• Mitchell starts Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare as a Marine, who is squadmates with Will Irons, the son of Private Military Company Atlas Corporation CEO Jonathan Irons. After their tour of duty is done, Jonathon Irons asks Mitchell if he wants to leave the Marines to join his company. Mitchell says yes and is outfitted with an "EXO" suit for his new job.
• Unlike past Call of Duty games, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has only one protagonist.
• You'll earn points every mission that can be used to upgrade your EXO suit. Using the EXO suit, you can climb walls with magnetic gloves, boost-dodge toward cover, perform super-jumps that let you get to higher ground, use optic camouflage for cloaking, and hover in mid-air.
• Your arsenal includes "variable grenades," which can be switched from concussion to threat detection while they cook. The threat detection grenade reveals enemy locations and makes this information available via an augmented reality system visible in your visor.
• Some of your guns are energy-based, and do not use traditional ammunition.
• There is a rideable vehicle called a Pitbull, which is based on the real world Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle.
• There's no official word on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare multiplayer yet, but Condrey teases, "You can probably imagine the possibilities of a lot of the stuff you saw in single-player and how it would apply online." Activision also says it is "absolutely committed" to supporting eSports.
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will have some kind of co-op mode.
• Veteran Metal Gear Solid composer Harry Gregson-Williams is working on the game's soundtrack. Audio director Don Veca says, "I think Advanced Warfare is going to be the best-sounding and certainly the best-mixed game ever."
• In an effort to create a believable world, Activision consulted with "experts from production design in movies to experts in the military to scientists and futurists," according to Sledgehammer cofounder Glen Schofield.

*This information is based on details provided by Activision in press releases and through a 12-page Game Informer magazine feature.