Behind Enemy Lines With Infinite Warfare’s Settlement Defense Front

The enemy in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is a brutal, fascist force that players will find difficult to empathize with in any way. They’re as traditional “bad guys” as things get, an evil force set on pure domination and control. The Settlement Defense Front consists of a massive fleet which includes the biggest, baddest capital starship in the known galaxy, the Olympus Mons. Its troops are both human and robotic, with slaughter drones and retrofitted service and worker droids that have laid down their mining programs in favor of new initiatives bent on the SDF’s goals. In Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, you’re going up against this massive war machine – and the odds are not in your favor.

The Settlement Defense Front came to power as off-worlders (think of them like modern day frontier gold-rushers) headed out into the dangerous void of space to take risks and make fortunes doing what, as they see it, the fat complacent Earth-dwellers were too cowardly to do. With the aid of robots and other technology, they have benefited greatly from the bounty of space, but now they want it all. Cutting ties with Earth and taking over have become the goal, and whether it’s by brutal annihilation or simply cutting off the old world from essential supplies to survive from space, the Settlement Defense Force wants Earth out of the picture.

Watch our interview with narrative director Taylor Kurosaki and studio art director Brian Horton giving background on the SDF.

The SDF is all about efficiency and functionality, substance over style. Their no-frills approach can be seen on everything from their weapons to their armor to their ships, having been forced to use more space-age components and materials mined offworld. Metals and unrefined tools of purpose make up the raw, sometimes unrefined look and feel of the SDF motif.

The SDF starts things off with a devastating attack on Geneva during the annual Fleet Week Parade. SDF sleeper-cell agent Raia actually turns the Earth’s planetary defense systems against its own ships, taking out the vast majority of the world’s fleet during the international planned event in a massive surprise attack of opportunity. The assault on the fleet coincides with a massive land attack as the SDF takes the chance to assault many of the gathered leaders and figureheads of the UNSA and Earth – it’s a cold-blooded move that sets the pace of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, as you’ll be manning what is essentially the last capital ship the Earth has to offer against the entire might of the SDF fleet.

Speaking of the SDF fleet, while your ship, the Retribution, is a serious powerhouse, it pales in comparison to the massive Death Star/Jaws predator that is the flagship vessel for the SDF, the Olympus Mons. The Olympus Mons stands as a testament to the power of the SDF, and while it’s intimidating and deadly on its own there’s also a face behind the monster, Admiral Salen Kotch. The Olympus Mons and its commander serve as the primary antagonist of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, standing out among standard troops and ships.

Our exclusive coverage on Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will continue all throughout June, so keep checking the hub for deep dives into the weapons, characters, vehicles, and interviews as we journey to the stars with Infinity Ward's new take on the longstanding series.