James Bond's Influence on Call of Duty's Creation
- Key decisions in game development shape franchise futures
- EA's choice of partner impacted Call of Duty's origins
- Creative talent shifted from Bond to creating iconic shooters
In a recent interview, Michael Condrey, co-founder of Sledgehammer Games, revealed how the choice of a development partner for the PC port of 2002’s 007 Nightfire could have drastically altered the trajectory of the Call of Duty franchise.
During his time at EA, Condrey oversaw several James Bond titles and explained, "We were looking for a PC developer to adapt Nightfire. One proposal came from Vince Zampella and Jason West of 2015, Inc., known for Medal of Honor: Allied Assault." Ultimately, however, EA chose Gearbox as the partner for the PC version, resulting in a poorly received product.
This decision led to Zampella and West leaving to create Infinity Ward and eventually launching Call of Duty. Condrey ponders how different the gaming landscape might be if 2015, Inc. had been chosen instead.