Activision started developing a "Call of Duty" sequel set in ancient Rome in 2008. Titled "Roman Wars," the game almost made it to store shelves until the whole project was called off.
In 2008, Activision started to introduce a new "Call of Duty" installment to further expand the series and maximize its growing popularity at the time. The plan was to focus on a soldier in the Tenth Legion of Julius Caesar, which was equivalent to the spec ops in its era.
GamesRadar revealed that according to sources who were part of the development of "Call of Duty: Roman Wars," the prototype stemmed from Vicarious Visions, a studio bought by Activision in 2005 and largely in control of "Skylanders" since 2010. T
he source shared that they were asked to create prototypes for a potential COD sequel, so they eventually worked on Fireteam, which was basically a new COD with an overhead camera inspired by "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2." The game included both first-person and third-person sections.
The insider shared that they focused on making an ancient warfare "Call of Duty" game and worked on a single-level prototype based on the Battle of Alesia. They included gameplay features and elements using the Unreal Engine like riding on horses and elephants and operating catapults.
The first-person mode focused on the parry and attack system, while the third-person mode delved more on direct melee and some strafing. Players handled weapons like swords, shields, bows, axes and spears, among others. They reportedly also tried to make it possible to throw sand at the eyes of enemies.
The "Call of Duty: Roman Wars" demo began with horse-riding part and Julius Caesar giving a speech. The main character, named Titus Pullo, was initially tasked to take out archers.
Players had three options to accomplish the mission. First, they can use the catapults against the archers. Second, they can climb the siege towers. Third, they can ride the war elephants, which is equivalent to a tank, trampling enemies while charging and offering protection to the player. The second part featured a gladiator-style setting.
ScreenRant stated that although the game developers seemed to have a clear vision in making "Call of Duty: Roman Wars," the project never went past the prototype stage.
Activision ultimately decided that they did not want to oversaturate the market. The publisher proceeded to create the Advanced Warfare series, moving the narrative to a futuristic environment.