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'Call of Duty: WWII' takes you back to Omaha Beach November 3rd

It's a step back in time for the franchise for a few reasons.

Sledgehammer Games

Call of Duty: WWII will launch November 3rd on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. As you might expect, the game takes place largely in Europe between 1944 and 1945, ultimately pushing toward Germany after fighting through Nazi reinforcements on Normandy Beach and through the grimy streets of France and Belgium. As for the story, there's a big focus on the brotherhood of your squad -- something captured in HBO's Band of Brothers and Steven Spielberg's epic Saving Private Ryan. The latter, Sledgehammer says, was a huge influence on the game. Just like it was for Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and its console counterpart Frontline in 2002.

While you won't actively control your squad, your compatriots will help you out by tossing ammo your way should you run dry. Speaking of the squad, Activision's affinity for Hollywood actors didn't stop with WWII. This time, the gaming juggernaut has roped Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas, Transformers series) and Jeffrey Pierce (Bosch, Tommy from The Last of Us) are along for the ride.

Activision promises that there will be a beta test for the multiplayer ahead of November, too. There's a new sort of social space that'll be available in addition to a mode called "War." Sledgehammer described the latter as such: Players take part in narrative-based iconic battles from World War II, including the Normandy Beach invasion, capturing objectives and pushing further up the infamous French beach. It sounds a lot like what EA's Battlefield 1 did with its "Frontlines" mode last year.

Oh, and if you bought a ticket for E3, you'll be able to play some of the game's multiplayer on the show floor. Aside from the typical deathmatch and capture the flag, there will also be a separate horror-based co-operative campaign. It looks like a zombies mode, naturally.