Infinity Ward Talks About the Fate of Riley the Dog from Call of Duty: Ghosts


Infinity Ward’s Community Manager Tina Palacios says, “You know what’s funny about that is, we were all watching the Xbox One reveal event in our theater, and after we got the reaction in real-time – we didn’t expect any of this at all, by the way – the studio became divided. Half of them said, ‘OK, the dog absolutely has to die.’ And then the other half – I’m on this half – said, ‘Whoa, no way! People love him.’ It’s a constant debate, but we do have an answer.”

“We actually had a couple Navy SEALS come in with their dogs that served in combat in Iraq. When we met them, they did have the same type of gear on, and they had cameras on their backs. Their trainer has a camera on their arm, so when they throw a dog into a building or into a room or over a wall, they can see what’s going on. If they’re far away, they can also give them instructions with a collar that vibrates on each side.”

“For these particular dogs, they have hardcore training from when they’re puppies. When you think of police dogs, they’re trained to latch onto an arm and not let go. These [military] dogs are trained to attack, let go, and attack in a different direction. They go through a lot more.”

Whether the dog dies or not, it seemed to have been a very difficult decision for the Infinity Ward team. Players will be able to control Riley the dog to their advantage throughout the story, so there will be a growing connection with the dog. Looks like we’ll have to wait and see what happens when the game comes out this November.

Here is Riley in action just in case you missed it:

YouTube video