To no surprise, the Black community has secured yet another victory and this time, it’s in the gaming industry.

In case you missed it, popular gaming franchise Call of Duty recently launched its 18th installment featuring British actor Chiké Okonkwo as the lead character, Arthur Kingsley. It was a historic launch as the role made him the first Black character to have a campaign storyline.

Activision and Sledgehammer Games’ Call of Duty: Vanguard — which hit the market on Nov. 5, 2021 — is inspired by British paratrooper Sergeant Sidney Cornell, the first Black British soldier to land on D-Day. Chiké Okonkwo’s role as Kingsley leads him into Operation Tonga before later joining a special operation task force callsign Vanguard to fight in World War II and bring victory for the Allied powers.

The opportunity to portray Kingsley was a privilege and call-to-action for Chiké Okonkwo who was intrigued by the opportunity to tell an impactful story that represents the men and women who lived and fought during the WWII conflict.

“I feel strongly about representation and equity. As a storyteller, it’s a real privilege to tell a story that is based on a true story,” Okonkwo told AfroTech exclusively. “What we are learning from Call of Duty, is that these stories represent a whole number of Black men and women who fought for the United States, the United Kingdom, and the coalition of allied forces to fight against the axis of evil. They are not just characters but real stories that have always existed throughout our history.”

Sledgehammer Games also showed the importance of equity and representation by placing Black talent at the forefront, which ensured the gaming experience not only displayed realistic adaptations but also captured the essence of Kingsley’s story.

In addition, global Black military historian Selena Carty was hired to ensure realism rather than imagination was at the premise of the project. American fiction writer Tochi Onyebuchi also hopped on board to breathe life into Arthur Kingsley’s story. What’s more, is that Sledgehammer Games sets the distinction between performative action and allyship by using its influence to hire Black talent to spearhead a story that highlights a marginalized group.

“The fact that there is Selena Cartys in the world is so important to me because I’ve always known that there were so many Black men and women of African origin, whose stories were just covered up intentionally,” Chiké Okonkwo said. “For Selena to have devoted her life to uncovering these stories in the military, has been so helpful to bring Kingsley to life. I have to give her and Sledgehammer Games so many props for the work they do in making sure these stories are not forgotten.”

He continued: “Then there’s Tochi Onyebuchi who took a lot of what he learned from Selena and from the other historians to give Arthur Kingsley his voice. But also Sledgehammer Games gave Tochi a voice and the chance to make stories that are specific and unique. That is what real allyship looks like.”

Sledgehammer Game

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