Activision is set to redeploy "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare."

The next edition of the multi-billion dollar video game franchise will harken back to 2007's "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare," the first entry in the series to depart from a real-world historic conflict to explore modern-day hostilities. Since then, Call of Duty games have gone into the future with "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" and "COD: Black Ops 3" based in 2025 and 2065, respectively.

Originally, the first-person shooting games were set in World War II or the Vietnam War. But Activision's studio Infinity Ward, which developed the original "Call of Duty" for computers in 2003, created "COD 4: Modern Warfare" with an intent to elevate the single-player story game's blockbuster action element. The game is so beloved, Activision re-released it three years ago as "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered."

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The resulting release – played on Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3 and PCs –won critical and industry acclaim and delivered a multiplayer game that fine-tuned in-game perks and progression in a way to keep players engaged for months.

Infinity Ward – one of three Activision studios that now develop Call of Duty games – created "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare," a 2016 game that took the storyline and major battles into outer space.

For "Call of Duty Modern Warfare" (out Oct. 25 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PCs), the L.A. area-based studio wanted the action to be more down to earth and connected to our current geopolitical situation.

"The original series was in some ways based on (the situation) after 9/11 and inspired by things like Operation Desert Storm and for MW now that is pretty far in our rearview mirror," said Taylor Kurosaki, studio narrative director at Infinity Ward. "So the team and I looked at how we define modern warfare today and ... even more today than ever the theatre of war is less defined. It means that the enemy doesn’t wear uniforms any longer. And it means that, oftentimes, there is collateral damage and that is part of the equation."

The Infinity Ward creative team began working on "Modern Warfare" soon after finishing "Infinite Warfare," says Kurosaki, who left the studio Naughty Dog ("Uncharted") in 2014 and was also narrative director on "Infinite Warfare."

They wanted to create a story that addresses "how unpredictable the world is, how things can turn on a dime, how there aren’t really clearly delineated lines between good and evil," he said. "And how can I make a difference in that world?"

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Action will take place across the globe including in Europe and the Middle East.

Call of Duty devotees will recognize some characters in the game, as there will be reimagined versions of Captain Price – a personage in all three "COD: Modern Warfare" games – and other notables.

Players will also get to take the role of Farah Karim, an female commander of a faction based on the YPG, a Kurdish militia that fought in Syria.

"It's a largely female fighting force fighting on the front line. Many of them are women whose lives were turned upside down and who have decided to take up arms in order to fight for their own version of greater good," Kurosaki said. Karim "fights war from a completely different perspective. This is her home where the theatre of war is. That’s always been a tenet of 'Modern Warfare,' showing the different perspectives of war."

"Modern Warfare" runs on a new underlying game engine, which supports 4K HDR video and Dolby Atmos sound. Also included: the multiplayer game, which tends to keep players occupied for months after the game's release, and a co-op mode, in which two players can play together.

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Players on different platforms – console game systems or computers – will also be able to compete in multiplayer sessions together.

Reclaiming the "Modern Warfare" mantle "was more thrilling than a feeling of pressure," Kurosaki said, "As a developer, you only get so many shots to create a game that says something meaningful and inspires players’ curiosity about the complex world in which we live. Personally, as a longtime fan of the original games, there’s no better canvas to do that through than the world of Modern Warfare, a series beloved by so many fans around the world."

Reviving the "Modern Warfare" legacy will likely be good for business, too, as 2011's "COD: Modern Warfare 3" remains the best-selling game in the series, with 30.7 million sold, according to Statista.

"The least successful versions were 'new' brands (Ghosts, Advanced Warfare, Infinite Warfare) and the most successful were sequels, so it appears that Activision is going with that pattern for the future," said Michael Pachter, managing director of equity research for Wedbush Securities.

This coming holiday season, he said, "the lineup is thin, so I think Call of Duty will be a solid favorite for #1."

Online response seemed overwhelmingly positive for "Modern Warfare" and the return of Capt. Price, who is prominent in the dark new trailer brandishing his trademark cigar. "I've never been so excited for a release," tweeted one fan.

"Welcome back, Captain Price," posted another Twitter user.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.