Call of Duty is back. The series is known for its gargantuan budgets, Hollywood-inspired visuals and turns from Oscar-winning actors – although like many a blockbuster, it also has plenty of detractors.
So will the new incarnation live up to the hype? Here's what we know so far about the latest instalment.
It will be released on 4 November
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The first-person shooter will come out on 4 November for PC, Xbox One and PS4. Special editions are packaged with a "remastered" version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
There will be no beta release on PC...
The surprise news is there will be no release of a PC beta for the multiplayer version of the game, according to the official Call of Duty Twitter account. No reason has been given.
but PS4 owners can play from 14 October
The multiplayer beta release will start on 14 October for PS4 and a few days later for Xbox One – recent reports suggest 21 October, says Tech Times. Those who have pre-ordered will receive a special code to allow them to try it out. The beta is expected to have a minimum duration of three days.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare beta details announced
The precise details of the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare's beta release – a chance for those who have pre-ordered the game to test-drive its multiplayer mode – have been announced.
As we already knew, PlayStation users get to go first, with Xbox owners getting their turn a week later, but there are still no plans for a PC beta.
Each machine gets three days' testing over a long weekend, so watch out for work colleagues phoning in sick on Mondays in October. PS4 players can start the action at 5pm UK time on 14 October, with time-up at 5pm on 17 October, while the fun begins on Xbox One at 5pm UK time on 21 October, again for a full 72 hours.
Activision have not released any further details, such as maps or modes available. The game itself will have a multiplayer zombie mode in which you, unsurprisingly, kill zombies, but that may not make the beta.
There's a lot of hate out there
The game was revealed on 2 May – and its preview trailer quickly became the one of the most "disliked" videos ever on YouTube, as the IB Times reported. The release four days later of the new trailer for rival game Battlefield may have played a part, with fans of each title vying to outdo each other. At time of writing, the trailer has been disliked 3,258,597 times. Yet, with 530,663 "likes", it is also the most popular Call of Duty trailer yet.
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What didn't people like?
The trailer was criticised for – once again – setting the game in the future. Fans are getting bored of futuristic settings, says Forbes.
Who's the big star?
The last Call of Duty instalment had Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey as a baddie. This time, Kit Harington of Game Of Thrones takes on the task. The actor, who plays Jon Snow in the fantasy TV show, portrays Admiral Salen Kotch, the leader of the Settlement Defense Front. He launches a surprise attack which leaves game protagonist Lt Nick Reyes in charge of Retribution, one of the Earth's few remaining warships
Taking a beating
Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor has been teased over his cameo appearance in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
McGregor, a popular competitor in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the US, stars as Captain Bradley Fillion in the game.
In the YouTube trailer, the spacesuit-wearing villain knocks Nick Reyes to the floor with a single punch, says the Daily Star.
McGregor took to Twitter to share a clip of the moment, writing: "When @TheNotoriousMMA takes you down, you stay down."
That was just too cocky for some UFC fans.
One Twitter user replied with "apart from when Diaz makes you tap", a reference to McGregor's defeat by submission at the hands of Nate Diaz in March. Another agreed: "Reminds me how he lost against Diaz."
One bold fan was even more critical, writing that McGregor "punches like a girl" and "is gonna get knocked out in the next fight".
