Call Of Duty: Ghosts Devs Discuss Bringing Dog Companion to Life in Latest Franchise Release

For many gamers disappointed by Xbox One reveal event, the addition of a dog squadmate in Call of Duty: Ghosts was the highlight of the show. The dog, named Colin, has spawned his own fan-made Twitter and has become the subject of many different GIFs in the days since the reveal. Lead animator Zach Volker, speaking to Eurogamer, revealed that using motion-capture technology on the Internet's newest favorite four-legged friend was the hardest part of creating Call of Duty: Ghosts.

"For me as the animation lead, [the biggest challenge of Ghosts] was definitely working with the dogs...We'd never mo-capped a dog before! Working with two-legged characters is hard enough. The session was crazy."

The session was not only hard for the animators and motion-capture team, but also for the stand-in dogs in the suit, which caused the German Sheppard to overheat quickly.

"We needed a way to put the markers on (Colin's) body and so we got a spandex suit for him and glued the markers on to that...It worked pretty well, but (Colin) got hot very quickly so we could only work in 20-minute increments and give him a long break to cool off."

Working with a dog also provided some unique challenges that the team had to figure out how to deal with on the fly. For example, animating the dog's feet, head, and ears, while making sure the actual dog was comfortable and acting naturally. In the end, the team figured out a solution that allowed the dog to perform well and remain safe and comfortable:

"In the end, we came up with some reflective tape that we were able to stick on (Colin's) fur in key areas such as ears, head and feet that didn't bother him. It was challenging, but very rewarding."

Call of Duty: Ghosts is definitely the most hyped game coming out of the Xbox One reveal, and Colin the dog figures to be a big part of the game's appeal and emotional attachment for players. Hopefully, he makes it through the end of the game, as he already has way more personality than the faceless goons that make up the rest of the game's squad.