‘Call Of Duty: WWII’ Won’t Shy Away From Racist Characters In 2017’s Campaign

Call Of Duty: WWII aims to be a historically accurate first-person shooter, so its development team at Sledgehammer Games is pulling no punches. Speaking at GamesBeat Summit earlier this week, studio co-founders Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey discussed how racism and diversity are of immense value to the single-player campaign.

Schofield was the most vocal with regard to race. Here’s what he had to say on the topic.

In America it was a segregated army, but the African American troops were indispensable. So part of the story is that [races] cross paths and we work together. That's the way it was. We don't hide the racism. We don't shy away from it. We don't shy away from the fact that one of the guys in the platoon is Jewish. That's brought up a lot because that's what was being talked about at the time. We don't shy away from it and we just try to tell the truth.

From his perspective, being true to those less-than-exemplary cultural themes is part of conveying the reality of a war where “there wasn’t any [social] group that was spared.” Condrey went on to say that the varied stories of different races and creeds creates a “broader sense of ideas and perspectives on a given topic.”

Read: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered May Get A Standalone Release

This is far from the first time Sledgehammer Games has made a point to prop up the diverse nature of the Call Of Duty: WWII cast. Mention was also made to a female protagonist by the name of Rousseau that leads the French resistance forces against German occupation. It’s assumed that she and her colleagues will play a pivotal role in helping the player make it to the final mission. Despite often being pictured as an all-male effort, Call Of Duty: WWII attempts to push the totality of the war as much as possible.

Despite Call Of Duty’s World War II roots, 2017’s game will be the first time historical racism is tackled in a major way in the franchise. Prior to now, most of the game’s ethnic-based confrontations have involved the hateful speech of immature online community members.

Call Of Duty: WWII comes to PS4, Xbox One and PC Nov. 3. Check out some other cool details you may have missed from the reveal.

Are you glad that Sledgehammer is going the extra mile to feature scenes of historical racism in Call Of Duty WWII? Could the game be just as realistic without it? Tell us in the comments section!