New gameplay details on Godzilla and Kong invading Call of Duty: Warzone, starting tomorrow

Stand toe-to-toe with Godzilla and Kong in Call of Duty: Warzone During the limited-time Operation Monarch mode and event. Operation Monarch is a true celebration of the Monsterverse and Godzilla vs. Kong within Call of Duty. Evade Godzilla’s Heat Ray Breath and Kong’s smashing fits while striving to be the last team standing.

Operation Monarch is live on PlayStation from May 11 through May 25. Will you survive the onslaught, or succumb to their Titan fury?

Meet the Titans: Godzilla and Kong

While classified as Protector Titans, Godzilla and Kong are capable of unparalleled wrath when provoked. When either one becomes enraged, it’s best to know what you’re up against. Here’s what we know:

Godzilla

Monarch Designation: Godzilla
Scientific Classification: Titanus Gojira
Height: 393 Feet
Known Attacks: Heat Ray Breath, Tail Swipe, Dorsal Slice
Tail Length: 582 Feet
Top Tail Swipe Speed: 89 MPH
Underwater Cruising Speed: 40-50 Knots
Volume of Roar: Up to 174 dB
Blood Volume: 530,000 Gallons
Tensile Strength of Bone: 3,000 MPa (Megapascal)
Heat Ray Energy Yield: 315 Trillion Joules

The King of the Monsters has risen from the darkest depths of the ocean to unleash his devastating breath and thunderous roar on unsuspecting shores. His Heat Ray Breath appears as several red circles on your minimap after it lights up Godzilla’s scales with an icy-blue glow. It’s best to avoid his line of fire; Those who end up in its destructive path have mere seconds to evade the attack.

Kong

Monarch Designation: Kong
Scientific Classification: Titanus Kong
Height: 337 Feet
Known Attacks: Quake Slam, Fin Breaker, Aerial Ax Slash
Punch Strength: Approx. 4.2 ML (Magnitude on Richter Scale)
Tensile Strength of Bone: 2,800 MPa (Megapascal)
Volume of Roar: Up to 170 dB
Top Arm Swing Speed: 62 MPH
Top Bipedal Running Speed: 78 MPH
Top Quadrupedal Running Speed: 104 MPH
Preferred Diet: Foliage, Bamboo, Mire Squid

Although his main domain is Skull Island, Kong is here on Caldera. He employs an epic brawler fight style, using quick feet, aerial traversal, and sheer feral strength to confuse and disorient his opponents. He will leap and jump around the island. Figuring out where he will land next requires further on-the-ground research from Operators. Keep your distance.

Operation Monarch Mode Intel

It’s advised that all Operators come prepared with a full Quad; Operation Monarch supports 60 players using Resurgence rules. The goal is simple: Be the last team standing.

On the ground, players will find Monarch Intel via Supply Boxes, special drops, and fallen enemies. Use this to charge a special meter that unlocks items such as Killstreaks and Loadout Drops, along with a unique and powerful Titan Killstreak reward for filling it up completely.

While collecting intel and eliminating enemies, Operators will need to watch out for Kong and Godzilla. Dealing damage to either Titan awards additional Monarch Intel.

Titan Frenzy

At the start of an Operation Monarch match, and at another point throughout, Kong and Godzilla may become enraged and attack. This is known as a Titan Frenzy. After receiving a Titan Frenzy alert, an operator has two options: tactically withdraw or attempt to suppress them by dealing direct damage.

The squad who deals the most damage to either Kong or Godzilla during a Titan Frenzy will receive Monarch’s special SCREAM Device. Runners-up will still earn Monarch Intel to count toward their special intel meter, whose final reward is the SCREAM Device.

SCREAM Device

The Titan SCREAM Device (Titan Sonic Communication Radar and Echolocation Array Module) is a prototypical device developed by Monarch that allows humans to communicate with ancient creatures.

In Operation Monarch, the SCREAM Device is a Killstreak that grants its user one of two powers: Godzilla’s Heat Ray Breath or Kong’s ground pound and a rock throw.

Once the attack type is chosen, the Operator can direct it toward any location on Caldera. To avoid a barrage of attacks, and to protect the sensory nerves of our Protector Titans, multiple SCREAM Devices cannot be used in rapid succession.

Like any other Killstreak, timing and positioning are two major factors to its effectiveness.

Bringing the Titans to Call of Duty

The creators behind Call of Duty are huge fans of these iconic monsters. To mark the momentous event, the devs discuss the excitement and responsibility that comes with bringing Godzilla and Kong into the game (plus some entertaining anecdotes from the process). Learn more from JJ Williams, associate creative director at Raven, and Jason Babler, associate live operations art director at Sledgehammer Games:

Describe the team’s emotions working around with these legendary Titans, from when they first heard about it to first seeing it in game.

Williams: I think excitement is an understatement. When we heard we would be working with Legendary Entertainment and on Titans in Warzone our minds were blown. We knew we had the opportunity to really swing for the fences and create an experience that hasn’t been seen yet.

Babler: Collectively, these bundles were one of the most fun and challenging ones we put together so far! Thankfully, Legendary gave us a huge sandbox to design within, allowing us to ideate on designs based off Godzilla and Kong in a whole new way. We took these beloved Titans, combined them with our COD aesthetics, and designed truly unique Operator skins that haven’t been seen before.

What were some of the technical challenges involved with bringing the Titans to the game?

Williams: There were numerous challenges to getting two Gargantuan Titans in the play space. I’ll save all the technical details but to keep Kong and Godzilla working within the Warzone tech and play nice with all the gameplay rules was quite the challenge. It hasn’t been easy but nothing good ever is.

Can you share any funny moments from development that will stick with you?

Williams: Some of the funniest moments involved unexpected bloopers we ran into early in the development process. Sometimes Kong would jump in the air and never come back down continuing to hop forever into space. Godzilla would sometimes just swim through the island like a land shark. All hilarious stuff.

From a creative standpoint, what are some of the challenges in adapting the aesthetics of these iconic monsters into Operator skins?

Babler: These skins proved to be quite challenging, due to the nature of the design challenge: How do you take these skyscraper size beasts, and make them still feel powerful as human-sized Operators? We wanted to avoid simply scaling down the Titans into a “person in a rubber-suit” version, especially with how Godzilla movies were originally created, or a cheesy ape suit. Our team went through a very long creative exploration, that had us go back to the drawing board more than once. However, we collectively found interesting character archetypes that just seemed to fit each Titan, and animation was able to fill those characters out with amazing move sets. Kong needed to be a brute of a soldier, so we took our biggest male rig, and then expanded the shoulder armor to more closely resemble Kong. For Godzilla, we wanted a layered look to mimic scales, and to sell a spine that could be lit up. The ghillie suit worked not only for lighting, but to suggest Godzilla’s scales, especially on the back. And we were inspired by the metal and tech of Mechagodzilla and kept coming back to a cyberpunk samurai theme.

The guns were a little easier to conceive of, and the weapons and VFX team make our Ultra Godzilla gun feel entertaining and devastating at the same time. I remember the day that everything came together and we got to review the Godzilla gun inspect: sound effects from the movie, VFX made an amazing Godzilla breath effect… we all were just grinning like kids again for hours as we passed the video around the studio .

Limited-Time Operation Monarch Bundles

Three Monsterverse Bundles inspired by Giants vs. Vikings Kong will be available during Operation Monarch. These include the Godzilla Reactive Mastercraft Limited Time Bundle, Kong Limited Time Bundle, and Mechagodzilla Limited Time Bundle. Check out some details on the latter:

Tracer Pack: Mechagodzilla Limited Time Bundle

For the latest and greatest in Apex technology, look no further than the Tracer Pack: Mechagodzilla Limited Time Bundle.

This Bundle features two ranged weapons built for taking on Titans. Both feature rapid-fire attachments, with the Cybernetic Destroyer Assault Rifle able to pierce the thick defenses of Kong and Godzilla at midrange. The Neural Uplink SMG favors a bit more close-range action, for those unafraid to step up against enemy squads and 300-foot-tall beasts alike.