Afghanistan setting for next Medal of Honor
EA confirms location of rebooted franchise, designed in conjunction with US military
Electronic Arts has chosen Afghanistan for the setting of the next in its Medal of Honor franchise, as the company looks to reboot the first-person shooter under the shadow of Activision's Call of Duty.
The location will be a sensitive one for some, with the announcement coming only days after both the UK and the United States pledged more troops for the ongoing war in the region.
"The development team has been working closely with Tier 1 Operators from the US Special Operations Community since the earliest stages of development to create the most authentic modern war experience," said the company.
"We are honoured to have the rare opportunity to work closely with these men to create a game that shares their experience," added Greg Goodrich, executive producer on the project.
Games set in realistic locations and tackling real-world issues have been scrutinised this year, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's 'No Russian' level gaining almost as much media coverage as its stellar sales.
Earlier this year, publisher Konami dropped Atomic Games' Six Days in Fallujah, which was based on a notorious battle in 2004 and saw the deaths over 2000 people, after receiving complaints from families of those affected by the conflict.
EALA is creating the single player version of the game, with EA's DICE studio handling multiplayer duties. Medal of Honor is due for release in 2010.
"EA has always been an advocate for telling the soldiers’ story,” added Sean Decker, VP of EALA. “The new Medal of Honor follows that tradition. We felt it was important to tell the story of today’s war and today’s elite soldiers via today’s most relevant medium – videogames."