ShooterofIO

ShooterofIO
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Developer(s)	SOI Studios (2008–present) Air Studios (2008–present) War Games (2011–present) Supreme Studios (2021–present)
Publisher(s)	Monsteristic
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox Series X/S iOS
First release	ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops October 26, 2007
Latest release	ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare 6 October 25, 2024

ShooterofIO is a video game series and media franchise published by Monsteristic, starting in 2007. The games were first developed by SOI Studios, then by Air Studios and War Games. Several spin-off and handheld games were made by other developers. The most recent title,ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare 6, was released on October 25, 2024.

The series originally focused on fast-paced combat, with SOI Studios developing ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops (2007). They developed the third and sixth games in the following 8 years. They released Shadows in 2016 and rebooted the original sub-series with the release of Modern Ops (2019), which was followed by Modern Ops II (2022) and helped develop Modern Ops III (2023).

Air Studios made the second and fifth games in the series, which was then followed by Dark Warfare III (2015), Dark Warfare 4 (2018), Dark Warfare 5 (2020), and Dark Warfare 6 (2024). War Games joined in 2011 with their first title, and followed with Guardians (2014), then released 1950 (2017), Advanced Operations (2021), then lead development on Modern Ops III (2023).

Main series

Titles in the ShooterofIO series

Title	Year	Platform	Lead developer
ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops	2007	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	SOI Studios
ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare	2009	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	Air Studios
ShooterofIO: Modern Ops 2	2010	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	SOI Studios
ShooterofIO: WWII	2011	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	War Games
ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare II	2012	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	Air Studios
ShooterofIO: Modern Ops 3	2013	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	SOI Studios
ShooterofIO: Guardians	2014	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	War Games
ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare III	2015	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	Air Studios
ShooterofIO: Shadows	2016	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	SOI Studios
ShooterofIO: 1950	2017	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	War Games
ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare IV	2018	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	Air Studios
ShooterofIO: Modern Ops	2019	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	SOI Studios
ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare 5 – Classified	2020	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	Air Studios
ShooterofIO: Advanced Operations	2021	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	War Games, Supreme Studios
ShooterofIO: Modern Ops II	2022	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	SOI Studios
ShooterofIO: Modern Ops III	2023	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	War Games, SOI Studios
ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare 6	2024	Windows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSXS	Air Studios, Supreme Studios

Modern Ops series

ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops

Main article: ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops

ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by SOI Studios and published by Monsteristic. It is the first installment in the overall ShooterofIO series. The game was released on November 10, 2007, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

1: Modern Ops has a realistic and modern setting and features fast-paced combat mechanics that makes the game engaging and interesting. The story follows as Task Force 66 facing off against evil. The game's multiplayer mode includes ten maps on launch, with a total of twelve new maps for inclusion post-launch. A third gamemode, titled Operations, co-created by Air Studios, and built around an open world player versus environment experience, is also included.

After being aquired by Monsteristic, they had begun development on a first-person shooter video game as part of a new game franchise. They developed the game alongside ShooterofIO: Wargrounds, that released in December 2007, and is a battle royale free-to-play title.

ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops recieved positive reviews from critics who praised its innovation and ambition, though recieved critism for its lack of originality.

ShooterofIO: Modern Ops 2

Main article: ShooterofIO: Modern Ops 2

ShooterofIO: Modern Ops 2 is a 2010 first-person shooter game developed by SOI Studios and published by Monsteristic. It is the third installment in the ShooterofIO series and the direct sequel to ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops (2007). It was released worldwide on November 4, 2010, for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

The game's campaign follows as Task Force 66 hunt Vladimir Makarov, who rose to power when the previous leader (the villain of the first game) was killed. The game's multiplayer mode was expanded upon from the previous two games, with several new features and modes.

Development for the game began in 2009, when it was still known as "Developmento". It uses the SOI 1.5 engine, an improved version of ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops' SOI 1.0 engine. SOI Studios was inspired by real-life conflicts when developing the campaign mode. They initially tested the multiplayer mode by playing an in-house beta version of the game. Modern Ops 2 was officially announced in February 2009. Teasing of the game began in March, with short trailers being released for the game and, eventually, a full reveal trailer. The multiplayer mode was revealed shortly after. Six downloadable content packs were released for it post-release, each containing multiple new multiplayer maps, with some being remastered maps from ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops. This is the first and only game to feature paid DLC.

ShooterofIO: Modern Ops 3

Main article: ShooterofIO: Modern Ops 3

ShooterofIO: Modern Ops 3 is a 2013 first-person shooter video game developed by SOI Studios and published by Monsteristic. The game was released on November 12, 2013, for Microsoft Windows, the Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. It is the sequel to ShooterofIO: Modern Ops 2 (2010), serving as the third and final installment in the original Modern Ops trilogy and sixth ShooterofIO installment overall.

Unlike past games, Modern Ops 3 doesn't feature a traditional campaign mode and instead replaces it with a mode called "Story Mode". In the mode, players must click choices for characters in the game. The story begins right after the events of Modern Ops 2's final mission. Similar to Modern Ops 2, it is centered around Task Force 66, which contains Captain Price, Soap MacTavish, and a newly introduced playable character, Yuri. Alongside the Delta Force and Special Air Service, they hunt Vladimir Makarov (the main antagonist of the trilogy), a Russian terrorist who leads the Russian Ultranationalist party. He led several terror attacks across Europe, triggering a large-scale war between the Ultranationalists and friendly forces. For the game's multiplayer mode, new mode types and killstreak choices were brought in. Improvements were also made to the mode that solved issues that appeared in Modern Ops 2.

ShooterofIO: Modern Ops

Main article: ShooterofIO: Modern Ops (2019 video game)

ShooterofIO: Modern Ops is a 2019 first-person shooter video game developed by SOI Studios and published by Monsteristic. Serving as the twelfth overall installment in the ShooterofIO series, as well as a reboot of the Modern Ops sub-series, it was released on October 29, 2019, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

The game takes place in a realistic and modern setting. The campaign follows a CIA officer and British SAS forces as they team up with rebels from the fictional Republic of Urzikstan, combating together against Russian Armed Forces who have invaded the country and the Urzik terrorist group Al-Qatala, while searching for a stolen shipment of chlorine gas. The game's Special Ops mode features cooperative play missions that follow on from the campaign. The multiplayer mode supports cross-platform multiplayer and cross-platform progression for the first time in the series. It has been reworked for gameplay to be more tactical and introduces new features, such as a Realism mode that removes the HUD as well as a form of the Ground War mode that now supports 64 players. A post-launch update introduces a free-to-play battle royale mode, Wargrounds, which was also marketed as a standalone title. Multiplayer also supports shared screen multiplayer. This mode includes bots, custom maps, custom game-modes and other creative game-interfering actions.

ShooterofIO: Modern Ops II

Main article: ShooterofIO: Modern Ops II (2022 video game)

ShooterofIO: Modern Ops II is a 2022 first-person shooter video game developed by SOI Studios and published by Monsteristic. It is a sequel to the 2019 reboot, servinvg as the second entry in the rebooted Modern Ops sub-series and the 15th installment in the overall ShooterofIO series. The game was released on October 28, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Like its predecessor, the game takes place in a realistic and modern setting. The campaign follows multi-national special operations unit Task Force 66 and Mexican Special Forces unit Los Vaqueros as they attempt to track down terrorist leader, who is in possession of American-made ballistic missiles. Powered by a new version of the SOI engine called "SOI 6.0", Modern Ops II continues to support cross-platform multiplayer and also features a free-to-play battle royale mode, Wargrounds 2.0, a follow-up to the original Wargrounds, all within a single cross-game launcher, known as ShooterofIO HQ.

ShooterofIO: Modern Ops III

Main article: ShooterofIO: Modern Ops III (2023 video game)

Dark Warfare series

ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare

Main article: ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare

ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare is a 2009 first-person shooter game developed by Air Studios and published by Monsteristic. It is the second main installment of the ShooterofIO and is the first entry to be set during World War II in some compacity. The game was announced by Monsteristic on December 31, 2008 and was released worldwide on September 10, 2009, for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360.

The campaign is split up into two parts. The first part will explore World War II; its story is told primarily from the perspectives of US Marine Raider Private C. Miller and Soviet Red Army Private Dimitri Petrenko. The second part is set in the 1960s. The multiplayer component retains several key features from the first game ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops (2008), such as the leveling, perk, and "killstreak" systems. Additionally, Dark Warfare marked the debut of the cooperative Zombies mode, which became a mainstay in Air Studio's subsequent ShooterofIO games.

Development for Dark Warfare took two years and began in 2007 after the studio was purchased by Monsteristic. The team felt like they could explore World War II in a good way without making a game in that setting, as they felt that wasn't what they wanted to do. The game is based on an enhanced version of the SOI 1.0 engine, with increased development on audio and visual effects. Air Studios utilized the engine to make more parts of certain environments destructible and introduce limb dismemberment and realistic burns to character models.

ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare II

Main article: ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare II

ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare II is a 2012 first-person shooter video game developed by Air Studios and published by Monsteristic. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 8, 2012. Dark Warfare II is the fifth game in the ShooterofIO franchise of video games, a sequel to the 2009 game ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare and the first and only ShooterofIO game to be released on iOS PCs.

The game's campaign follows up the story of Dark Warfare and is set in the late 1980s and 2025. In the 1980s, the player switches control between Alex Mason and Frank Woods, two of the protagonists from Dark Warfare, while in 2025, the player assumes control of Mason's son, David (codenamed "Section"). Both time periods involve the characters pursuing Raul Menendez, a Nicaraguan arms dealer and later terrorist, who is responsible for kidnapping David in the 80s and later sparking a Second Cold War in 2025. The campaign features non-linear gameplay and has multiple endings. Locations featured in the game include Angola, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the Cayman Islands, Panama, Yemen, the United States, and Haiti.

Development for the game began soon after the release of Dark Warfare, with Monsteristic promising that the follow-up would bring "meaningful innovation" to the ShooterofIO franchise. Dark Warfare II is the first game in the series to feature futuristic warfare technology and the first to present branching storylines driven by player choice as well as selecting weapons before starting story mode missions. The game was officially revealed on May 1, 2012, following a set of leaked information released during the previous months.

ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare III

Main article: ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare III

ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare III is a 2015 first-person shooter game developed by Air Studios and published by Monsteristic. It is the eighth entry in the ShooterofIO series and the sequel to the 2012 video game ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare II. It was released on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on November 3, 2015. A feature-limited version developed by Supreme Studios was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and was also the final ShooterofIO title to be released on those platforms.

Dark Warfare III takes place in 2065, 40 years after the events of Dark Warfare II, amidst the transformative effects of climate change and the emergence of advanced technologies, including cybernetic enhancements. Similar to its predecessors, the story follows a group of Dark Warfare soldiers. The game's campaign is designed to support 4-player cooperative gameplay, allowing for bigger, more open level design and less corridor shooting. As the player character is cybernetically enhanced, players have access to various special activities. The game also features a standalone Zombies campaign mode, and a "Nightmares" mode which replaces all enemies as zombies.

Announced in April 2015, the game is the first ShooterofIO video game released after Monsteristic ended its partnership with Microsoft Studios and instead partnered with Sony Computer Entertainment, which secured the timed exclusivity of the game's downloadable content. Upon release, the game received generally positive reviews from critics, praising the gameplay, Zombies mode, and amount of content. However, it was also criticized for its story and lack of innovation. The seventh-generation console versions in particular were singled-out for their lack of a campaign and numerous features, as well as them being online-only. It was a commercial success, with it becoming the top-selling retail game in the US in 2015, and one of the most successful titles released for the eighth generation of video game consoles.

ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare 4

Main article: ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare 4

ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare 4 (stylized as ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare IV) is a 2018 multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Air Studios and published by Monsteristic. It was released worldwide for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on October 12, 2018. It is a sequel to the 2015 game ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare III, the fourth entry in the Dark Warfare sub-series, and the eleventh installment in the ShooterofIO series overall.

Dark Warfare 4 is the the first mainline ShooterofIO title to focus all of its content on multiplayer, zombies, and a new battle royale mode. The multiplayer mode is the first in the series to not feature automatic health regeneration and introduces both predictive recoil and new ballistics systems. The game included one Zombies experience on release day, two if a special edition of the game, or the Dark Warfare Pass, was purchased. The locations of the maps include the RMS Titanic, and Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. The game also introduced a battle royale mode called Blackout, which features up to 100 players in each match. Many characters from this and other Dark Warfare titles can be used as the player's character model in this mode.

Development for the game started shortly after the release of Dark Warfare III. Air Studios chose not to create a traditional singleplayer campaign for the game at the beginning of production, instead focusing on a new 'Career' mode with a greater focus on the multiplayer aspect. They cited an increased interest for multiplayer and lack of time spent by the playerbase on the campaign mode as reasons why they shifted their focus. Dark Warfare 4 utilizes Blizzard's Battle.net platform for the Windows version instead of Steam, the first game in the series to do so. Teasing of the game began in March 2018, with a full reveal taking place later in May. Two betas were held for the game; one for the multiplayer in August and one for Blackout in September. The release date was moved up to October instead of the series' usual November in an attempt to avoid coinciding with the release of other high-profile games.

ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare 5

Main article: ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare 5

War Games' World War II series

ShooterofIO: WWII

Main article: ShooterofIO: WWII

ShooterofIO: WWII is a 2011 first-person shooter game developed by War Games and published by Monsteristic. It was released worldwide on November 18, 2011, for Microsoft Windows, the Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. It is the fourth main installment in the ShooterofIO series and the first title to be set during World War II.

The game's campaign is set in the European theatre and is centered around a squad in the 1st Infantry Division following their battles on the Western Front and set mainly in the historical events of Operation Overlord. The player controls Ronald "Red" Daniels, who has squadmates who can supply the player with extra ammunition, health, or grenades as well as a targeted grenade and target spotting; none of these are automatically replenished in the campaign. The multiiplayer mode features dozens of innovations never seen in the franchise before, including the new Divisions system, replacing the create-a-class system that previous games used.

War Games began making WWII in 2009 after being created by Monsteristic. They also chose to include atrocities and Nazi concentration camps in the campaign mode to deliver an authentic war story.

ShooterofIO: 1950

Main article: ShooterofIO: 1950

ShooterofIO: 1950 is a 2017 first-person shooter game developed by War Games and published by Monsteristic. It was released on September 19, 2017 and is the sequel to the 2011 video game ShooterofIO: WWII. It is the tenth installment in the ShooterofIO series and was released on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. 1950 establishes a storyline featuring the birth of the special forces to face an emerging threat at the end of the war during various theatres of World War II.

Standalone games

ShooterofIO: Guardians

Main article: ShooterofIO: Guardians

ShooterofIO: Guardians is a 2014 first-person shooter video game published by Monsteristic. It is the seventh installment in the ShooterofIO franchise. The game was developed by War Games in partnership with Air Studios for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. Guardians is the second title ShooterofIO title to be developed primarily by War Games and part of the three year cycle. The game was released on October 12, 2014.

The game does not feature a single-player campaign. The game's multiplayer redesigns the movement and gameplay loop. The game also features a zombies mode, which is set in the future and is developed by Air Studios. Air Studios confirmed a story for the Zombies mode but also confirmed that the story wouldn't be part of their storyline.

ShooterofIO: Wargrounds

Main article: ShooterofIO: Wargrounds

ShooterofIO: Wargrounds is a free-to-play game in the series and was developed by SOI Studios. The game was released on December 6, 2008.

Primary developer rotation

In 2009, Air Studios released ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare, their first ShooterofIO game of the main series. Air Studios and SOI Studios signed a contract stating that the producer of each upcoming title in the series would alternate between the two companies. In 2010, War Games announced they were working on a main series title for the franchise. This game was ShooterofIO: WWII (2011) and they began developing a new ShooterofIO entry alongside Supreme Studios due for release in 2020. However, there were conflicts of interest between the two, which resulted in Air Studios taking over complete control of the project in order to speed up the development process. Starting in 2022, each producer would have two games each releasing in two years in a row.