The back-and-forth between Call of Duty and Medal of Honor is one of the most fascinating rivalries in gaming history.
It's a prime example of the apprentice outdoing the master, though not because the master lost their edge but because the apprentice had everything fall into place at the right time.
Some people get defensive about who did it first, but honestly, every major shooter has borrowed a thing or two from what came before.
Long before COD dominated the first-person shooter scene, MOH held the crown. For a time, it was the definitive WWII shooter, delivering cinematic campaigns, stealth-based gameplay, and a level of historical accuracy that set it apart from the rest.
But as COD surged forward, MOH faded into the background. What made that happen? And, more importantly, did COD owe any of its success to the foundation MOH established?
The origins of the MOH are rooted in Hollywood. After the success of Saving Private Ryan, director Steven Spielberg set out to create a game that would convey the raw intensity and emotion of WWII.
In 1999, MOH made its debut on PlayStation and pushed the boundaries of shooters with a strong emphasis on history and storytelling. Unlike Wolfenstein and other war-themed FPS games from that era, this one focused less on exaggerated action and more on immersing players in the role of a soldier.
From day one, the MOH had an identity. Early titles like Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and Frontline blended traditional FPS mechanics with espionage-style missions. Surviving the war was framed in a way that felt both cinematic and true to life.
Next thing we knew, COD was here in 2003. What many players might not realize is that COD was born from the team that worked on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. After developing that title, a group of developers left to form Infinity Ward and used the lessons from MOH to reach new heights.
Activision saw the potential and fully backed them with the first COD, which was even called the "MOH Killer" internally. COD took the MOH's squad-based combat and made it more intense by throwing players into large-scale battles with AI allies and making them feel like soldiers in a bigger war. It plunged you into the deep end and left you to figure it out.
COD knew its strengths, but MOH had trouble finding its footing. It wasn't a case of the series falling off. It was more that it tried too hard to be something it wasn't. Instead of doubling down on its stealth and tactical gameplay, it attempted to chase COD's more high-octane style. By the time COD 2 and Modern Warfare redefined the genre, MOH was already playing catch-up.
The late 2000s also saw an oversaturation of WWII shooters. Battlefield was expanding, Brothers in Arms carved out a niche, and COD was dominating sales charts.
In 2010, EA sought to modernize the MOH, but the attempt came too late to make an impact. Players saw it as an inferior COD clone rather than the franchise that once led the way. The debate about 'which copied which' expanded from there.
The final blow came in 2012 with the Medal of Honor: Warfighter. Poor reception, weak sales, and EA's shift towards Battlefield meant the franchise was shelved.
But EA made yet another push to bring the series back in 2020 with Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, a VR-only title developed by Respawn Entertainment. It nailed the WWII experience, but it ran into technical problems, only appealed to a niche crowd, and didn't leave much of a mark.
That was the last straw before EA went all in on Battlefield. MOH went from king of the hill to a memory we all look back on.
While COD leads the way now, it owes much of its success to the foundation laid by the MOH. Even now, traces of the MOH's impact remain as COD often revisits WWII and pulls in those classic mechanics.
Above all, MOH's legacy lives on in Respawn Entertainment (a studio led by former Infinity Ward developers now under EA), the same company that once owned MOH.
At this point, it's fair to say that Medal of Honor walked so Call of Duty could run.
While COD is still sprinting, some players should never forget where it all started.