The star of the game is Captain Nick Reyes, who is joined by his mentor Admiral Raines, Lieutenant Nora Salter, SATO Marines Staff Sergeant Omar, and the robot warrior Ethan on a journey aboard the warship Retribution. The game begins when the radical separatists of the Settlement Defense Front (SDF) launch a surprise attack on Geneva. The United Nations Space Alliance governs trade and colonization, while the Solar Associated Treaty Organization (SATO) serves as military protection. The game is set in a distant future, where Earth has been stripped and humanity relies on resources mined elsewhere in the solar system. Activision's long-running first-person shooter sends gamers to outer space, overhauls the multiplayer class system, and brings back Zombies mode in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.