In 2007, while Infinity Ward was building the first Modern Warfare, Underground Development began working on a top-secret, third-person shooter in the Call of Duty franchise, titled Devil's Brigade, Vox Games reports.Based on a real-life group of ruthless, almost superhuman American and Canadian soldiers in World War II, Devil's Brigade was Activision's fallback if fans didn't get the switch to a contemporary setting with Modern Warfare.

Devil's Brigade focused on tactical strategy, stealth missions and super-athletic Special Forces combat. The real Devil's Brigade scaled a mountain carrying more than 50 pounds of supplies and weapons to defeat the camp below in two hours, and they were known for infiltrating German trenches and slitting soldiers' throats, slapping stickers that read "The worst is yet to come," in German, on the dead men's helmets. Underground Development wanted to capture this essence for the game version of Devil's Brigade.

But, as history shows, players did understand Modern Warfare. When Devil's Brigade was ready for its final green light, it got lost in the shuffle of Infinity Ward's success and the Blizzard/Vivendi merger. Activision closed Underground Development in 2008 with nary a whisper about Devil's Brigade. For now, we have some screenshots of the game and the memories of throat-slitting action that could have been.

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/21/ca...urious-baster/