Prepare to go dark, Modern Warfare is back!

The stakes have never been higher as players take on the role of lethal Tier One operators in a heart-racing saga that will affect the global balance of power.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will make its return in a powerful experience reimagined from the ground-up, engulfing players in a modern-day conflict, where split-second decisions could affect the global balance of power.

In the gripping and dramatic single-player story campaign, players will immerse themselves in a visceral narrative that shines a light on the changing nature of modern war. Alongside a cast of international special forces and freedom fighters, fans take the role of tier one operators in a saga that will affect the global balance of power. Additionally, picking up where the Campaign ends is the cooperative Special Ops mode where players can team up in strike-teams of four. Special Ops advances the overarching Modern Warfare lore with multiple ways to play co-op, including Operations, the largest and most involved experience with multi-phased objectives, and the more curated Classic Special Ops, to test your performance with weapons, munitions and other tools.

And the story doesn’t end there.

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, players will be thrust into an immersive narrative spanning the entire game. Players can experience the ultimate online playground with classic multiplayer or squad-up and play cooperatively in a collection of elite operations, accessible to all skill levels.

Each Season the narrative of Modern Warfare continues to advance. New enemies, heroes, and those with more clandestine reasons for being within the theater of war have risen to fill the void left by AQ forces, ready to counter the emerging threat posed by Mr.Z. 

As Season Five approaches, events have transpired and led to the formation of a new group aligned in name only with the Allegiance faction – Shadow Company. Read on to shine a light on this mysterious new private military company before taking these Operators into the heat of battle. 

The Collapse of the Armistice

Initially formed to fight back against a new AQ and their benefactor Mr. Z, the Armistice was a temporary alliance that has crumbled. New Operators dropping into Verdansk have joined the fray to protect their own, as the request has been made to only “send Operators one can trust”.  

And for good reason, the distrust has led to infighting, and hostile forces run unchecked in Verdansk. As the rules of the original Armistice agreement have utterly failed, Shadow Company arrives without pretense – they operate on their own terms.

Rise of the Shadow Company

An elite PMC, Shadow Company operates outside the boundaries of the original Armistice. Forged from the fires of in-fighting between the Coalition and the Allegiance, Shadow Company has a framework and agenda all of their own. 

Ostensibly Allegiance Operators who have grown impatient with Coalition progress under the command of Captain Price, Shadow Company is a splinter group formed without compromise, ready to take the war directly to Mr. Z and into Verdansk and deal with terrorist threats directly.

All experts in their field with formal military experience, this trio is prepared to change the current experience of Verdansk.

Operators of the Shadow Company 

Highly skilled with a diverse range of expertise the Shadow Company consists of Rozlin “Roze” Helms (formerly Jackals), Velikan,  and Marcus “Lerch” Ortega, the Company’s leader. 

Lerch hails from Plano, Texas and is a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Known on the battlefield for his enthusiasm and success in regards to eliminating the enemy, it was better to have Lerch with you rather than against you. Following USMC, civilian life didn’t suit Lerch, so he re-entered the fight in the private sector and is considered a one-man force multiplier. When the Shadow Company CEO came across Lerch’s dossier, he was the perfect combination of skill and moral flexibility. There’s no contract Lerch won’t take on nor challenge he won’t face which is how he finds himself in Verdansk leading the other Operators of Shadow Company.

Not much is known about Velikan. Dressed in full body armor for protection in battle and to hide his identity, little is confirmed about this Operator. A shadow of a shadow. Tales of his exploits are written off as fairytales at best and gross exaggerations at worst. Those who know him never speak ill of him. Whether it’s due to fear or respect, no one knows. 

Rozlin “Roze” Helms joined the Shadow Company after migrating from the Allegiance faction Jackals. Previously, Roze cut ties with the Armed Services and returned to support her family and ailing father. Periodically in contact with Mace, now a PMC who left the Army after abandoning his post in protest of combat orders he deemed illegal, Roze gained entry into the Jackals mercenary group. Now Roze is letting her skill prove her worth as she provides support to Shadow Company while remaining on cordial terms with Mace. 

Season Five launches on August 5th.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare features a new engine delivering an immersive and photo-realistic experience across the entire game. The new technology utilizes the latest advancements in visual engineering, including a physically-based material system allowing for state-of-the-art photogrammetry, a new hybrid tile based streaming system, new PBR decal rendering system, world volumetric lighting, 4K HDR, DirectX Raytracing (PC) and more as well as a new GPU geometry pipeline. Spectral rendering delivers thermal heat radiation and infrared identification for both thermal and night-vision in-game imaging. The technical investment made provides a cutting-edge animation system and blend shape system, while the new suite of audio tools allows for full Dolby ATMOS support, on supported platforms, along with the latest in audio simulation effects.

Modern Warfare multiplayer delivers a thrilling and game-changing online experience with best-in-class down the barrel gameplay, along with an all-new level of strategic and tactical play. Players can jump into new play spaces that redefine Call of Duty multiplayer, from quick-action, close-quarters 2 vs. 2 experiences in Gunfight, traditional 6 vs. 6 multiplayer gameplay, modes that support 10 vs. 10 and 20 vs. 20 firefights, along with high-player count maps and combat, such as the all-new Ground War, an epic large-scale mode supporting more than 100-players. And, that’s just the beginning for Modern Warfare fans.

With a complete weapon overhaul and the most choices in Call of Duty history, players will be able to outfit their multiplayer operators for every combat encounter, with unprecedented customization and modifiability in the new Gunsmith system. Modern Warfare features cutting-edge visuals, authentic sound design, with realistic recoil and weapon ballistics throughout the game. In addition, gameplay mechanics, including bullet penetration, gun mounting, door breaching and night vision multiplayer gameplay maps featuring night vision goggles (NVGs), allow for an amazing tactical experience.

Activision also confirmed that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will have no season pass, and that it will feature cross play between Xbox One, PS4 and PC platforms.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare features a fully-optimized PC version, developed in partnership with Beenox, which will be available exclusively on Blizzard Battle.net

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is currently available worldwide on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.