Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare Multiplayer Focuses On Exoskeletons

Every year the developers of Call of Duty say that the latest game is going to make sweeping changes to the well-worn multiplayer formula. Sledgehammer Games is saying the same with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare but their case is fairly convincing.

"We’ll have our own style. The exoskeletons are definitely in there and that’s the core of the game," Sledgehammer Games co-founder Glen Schofield told Metro.

Exoskeletons are apparently standard-issue for soldiers in the 2054, the year Advanced Warfare takes place. These exoskeletons enable the wearer to jump higher and run faster than humanly possible. In the new gadgets trailer below, Schofield says that the suit even has a cloaking device. Players who aren't in the mood for subtlety can pick up enemies and throw them.

"The exoskeleton is a game-changer," Schofield says in the trailer. "It's really the thing that's ushering in a new era of Call of Duty."

A multiplayer battle between players using exoskeletons would probably be closer to Crysis 3 than Call of Duty: Ghosts. It's possible that I'm overestimating the changes, though. The developers could impose limits on the exoskeleton abilities, like long cooldowns, to ensure that the standard Call of Duty gunfights we've come to expect after years of sequels will still be there.

The exoskeleton seems to be the biggest gadget at players' disposal but it's not the only one. The threat detection grenade allows you to see enemies through walls for a short period of time. The mobile barricade is a large transparent shield that moves with you protects you from frontal attacks. The barricade even has a window that pops open so you can return fire. Directed-energy weapons, meanwhile, can melt enemies with powerful red beams.

Sledgehammer Games' other co-founder Michael Condrey said in the Metro interview that these items won't be limited to single-player, either. They want these new toys to have an impact on multiplayer.

"Our multiplayer has what I’m going to call the biggest set of new, as you call it, cool gear that you’ve seen in a long time. It’s a big step forward, from three years in development we’ve been able to innovate across the game. Everything you saw today… just imagine what that’s going to mean for multiplayer."

All the gameplay footage we've seen from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare so far has been from the single-player campaign. Sledgehammer hasn't said when we can expect a multiplayer reveal. They did tease the online side of the game with a screenshot earlier this week, though.