Publisher Activision’s popular Call of Duty first-person shooter series makes a lot of money, which means the company can afford a little bombast in its marketing campaign for the latest game in the series.
British director Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes, Snatch) helmed the production of a live-action Call of Duty: Black Ops II advertisement called “Surprise.” It features everyday people, and Robert Downey Jr., in combat situations where each person flanks their enemy only to be outflanked themselves. The game is due out Nov. 18 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Wii U.
Check out the trailer:
The Call of Duty franchise is no stranger to these types of big-budget live-action commercials. In 2011, Activision released an ad for Modern Warfare 3 where a veteran of the series, actor Sam Worthington (who voice acted in the original Black Ops) led rookie Jonah Hill through a series of training missions to prepare him for the game.
A 2010 ad for the original Black Ops used a similar setup to the latest commercial. A bunch of average players, and NBA star Kobe Bryant, fight each other on a battlefield.