Ghosts Alpha leaks show just how a Call of Duty campaign is made
The prototype build shows a raw campaign without major cutscenes, rough animations and textures, and random Modern Warfare characters.
27th Sep 2024 16:40
Image via Activision
Ghosts Alpha leaks show just how a Call of Duty campaign is made
The prototype build shows a raw campaign without major cutscenes, rough animations and textures, and random Modern Warfare characters.
27th Sep 2024 16:40
Image via Activision
Call of Duty: Ghosts. The marmite of the series. Loved or hated. Me, I was camp Ghosts, and ripping through Sovereign and Warhawk with a Remington, Honey Badger, MTar, and Vector were some of the better memories of the golden ages.
The campaign was a mixed bag too, but, again, the good parts were enough to carry Ghosts through with fond memories. For many, they think the storyline would be perfect for a remaster or sequel.
But the campaign wasn't always going to turn out the way it did, and now an entire Alpha build of Ghosts (named Phantoms) has launched online, showing how different it could've been and highlighting exactly what goes into making a CoD campaign.
Ghosts Alpha prototype appears online showing major changes
Ghosts is best known for its dog. Quite simply, Riley was the best part of the campaign, so much so that it was honoured with a Modern Warfare 2 Easter egg. But he wasn't always going to be called Riley. Instead, this build has many names changed, and Riley didn't even have one. It's just a no-name dog.
The name was soon brought in to honour Simon "Ghost" Riley of Modern Warfare. It's not the only MW reference either, as Ghosts was originally planned to take place in the same universe and timeline, which would have been the first notion of a standalone spin-off based on the masked character.
The MW references continue in the Alpha build, as players spot shrines and statues based on John "Soap" MacTavish, while Captain John Price even joins the protagonist's squad in certain missions. All of this may well have been placeholders, but it's clear to see that in its earliest stages, Ghosts worked hand-in-hand with MW.
Ghosts Alpha highlights how much goes into a Call of Duty campaign
Aside from the Modern Warfare references, which could have painted Ghosts in a completely different light, that Alpha build shows just how much a campaign can change in a matter of weeks and months.
A large portion of the graphics were unfinished, with characters falling through objects that have yet to be refined. The story is far from done, too, as the most important cutscene in the Ghosts storyline was not in the build.
Those familiar with the campaign will remember Rorke (named Vargas in Phantoms) captures Hesh, Loga, and Elias, and kills the father in front of his two sons. This scene didn't feature in the Sin City level and was added later.
This Alpha prototype was reportedly dated less than six months before the full release of Ghosts, and with the Campaign being a finished article on release, it's quite astonishing how far the development can progress in a small space of time.
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
