New 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4' moves the frontlines to Korea

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4" is taking the game to a new theater of operations: Korea.

The video game, launching Oct. 23 ($69.99, Rated Mature for ages 17-up), for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Switch 2 and PCs, continues the story of Captain John Price, a main character in the series back to 2007's "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare."

Price, a British Army officer and leader of international anti-terrorism team Task Force 141, is on the run, having killed a traitorous U.S. general at the end of 2023's "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3."

"He's wanted by his ex-allies and we get to show the merging of his kind of conflict, where he is chasing revenge for the death of some friends, and that ends up colliding with the events in South Korea and the inception of this conflict," Jack O'Hara, co-head of game development studio Infinity Ward, told USA TODAY.

"Modern Warfare 4" is the first Call of Duty game set in Korea. The country has been top of mind with Korean culture becoming a dominant force thanks to K-pop music (boy band BTS cleaned up at the American Music Awards), movies ("KPop Demon Hunters" did so too at the Academy Awards) and, of course, Korean food.

But a schematic showing North Korean artillery batteries aimed at South Korea sealed the deal for the developers. "You realize that the capital of South Korea is in range of all this artillery in the North. That was a really compelling visual," O'Hara said. "That's kind of crazy to have these two countries that are like frozen in time with this DMZ."

South Korea is included under the U.S. "nuclear umbrella," to deter attackers, according to Congress.gov. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea.

South Korean soldiers are often embedded with U.S. troops, O'Hara said. "We thought it would really be interesting to set events there and show that perspective of you grunts, in the front lines, dealing with cultural differences amongst themselves, fighting together to preserve a country that gets attacked from the North," he said. "We felt, wow, that could be really ripped from the headlines and feel very authentic."

How does "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4" fit into the timeline of the Call of Duty franchise?

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4" is set in 2026. As an international hotspot, Korea may not be dominating the headlines. But geopolitical motion could bring it to the fore in the real world.

The U.S. use of munitions in Iran has impacted supplies in South Korea with some Patriot missiles and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) advanced missile defense systems being moved, The New York Times has reported.

Also moved to the Middle East: the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group from the South China Sea and, subsequently, two Marine Expeditionary Units, each with about 2,200 Marines, from the Pacific. 

And there's the potential for South Korea to possibly participate with the U.S.-led operation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"You've got North Korea sending troops to fight in Ukraine with Russia. You've got North Korea and Iran making bomb drones for Russia," O'Hara said. "There's lot of interconnectivity there between all these different countries in some of the conflicts around the world right now."

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4" cast

The game has one of the largest casts of any Call of Duty game. Bringing to life some of the characters – with their voice and likeness – are actors Luke Tennie ("The Pitt" and "Abbott Elementary"), Young Mazino ("Beef" and "The Last of Us") and William Lipton ("General Hospital").

Tennie and Lipton are U.S. Marines, teamed up with South Korea troops including Young Mazino. "They're a squad together," co-studio head Mark Grigsby told USA TODAY. "They are awesome characters with a lot of energy and a lot of star power. … I think that the audience is really going to feel it and and gravitate to them."

Returning is Barry Sloane ("The Cage" and "House of the Dragon"), who plays Captain Price for the fourth time, the first being 2019's "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare."

'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4' modes

In addition to the story campaign, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4" will launch with a dozen new 6 vs. 6 multiplayer maps from locales featured in the story mode. There's also Gunfight maps, with various numbers of competitors, and several Big War maps for vehicle and infantry combat.

Another mode called "DMZ," is like "player vs. player vs AI," O'Hara said. Players help protect civilians during a North Korean offensive and then, as the game evolves, you can counterattack. "It's multiplayer mixed with campaign and it's super exciting," he said.

All Call of Duty games in release order

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at  mikegsnider  &  @mikegsnider.bsky.social  &  @mikesnider & [email protected].