Call of Duty as a franchise has gone through many changes, with various developers tweaking the gunplay and progression systems. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the latest installment, promised a grim look at the reality of war, civilian danger, and responsibility. We’re also getting a virtual pet, basically a Tamagotchi, so we can hatch a sweet little buddy from a digital egg and help it grow. Seems slightly off-theme to me, but the multiplayer in Call of Duty has always been a much lighter arena.

Introducing the Tomogunchi: a virtual pet for your Operator!



1️⃣ Feed it!

2️⃣ Monitor its moods!

3️⃣ And help it evolve!



Get yours from the in-game store today in #ModernWarfare pic.twitter.com/3CLEhEXIqS — Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) March 3, 2020

It’s not new to purchase a companion in a game as a service. Everything from World of Warcraft to Fortnite lets the player kit out their avatar and equip a cuddly pet or tiny friend to come along for the ride. Call of Duty’s version is handled a little bit differently. In Modern Warfare, you have an old-school digital device strapped to your operator’s wrist. This is peak early ’90s nestled in a 2020 video game release.

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There’s only one way to nurture your Tomogunchi: murder. Killing will feed your little buddy and upgrade it throughout the course of play. If you’re on a bad streak, the poor little guy will wither and die in response. (For the objective-minded, you can also give your Tomogunchi sustenance through objective scoring, killstreaks, and wins.)

Players can also unlock other wristwatch cosmetics, but the Tomogunchi is my personal favorite, if only because I had a Tamagotchi myself as a kid. It died many times; I suspect with my shooter skills, my Tomogunchi would meet the same fate.

Bandai re-released the classic Tamagotchi back in 2017, and teamed up with The Pokémon Company for an Eevee-raising version of the toy in 2018.