Call of Duty is adding a dog again

A decade after Call of Duty: Ghosts first introduced Colin, AKA Riley the dog as a squad member, Activision is bringing attack canines back to its first-person shooter franchise.

Step up, Merlin the dog - who is coming to Modern Warzone 2 and Warzone 2.0 as part of the new Season 05: Blackcell.

In battle, Merlin - and other "tactical pets" which are yet to be unveiled - will stay strapped to your person, a bit like a gun holstered at your hip. But Merlin and his friends aren't just for show! You can also select your animal friend to carry out a "devastating" finishing move.

For those wondering whether it's safe to bring a fluffy dog pal into a hail of bullets, never fear - these animals "cannot be harmed in any way", Activision wrote in its blog post.

Other additions in the coming season are "Battle Buddies" - essentially personalised virtual assistants who act as announcers.

As previously announced, Call of Duty is also adding skins for various hip-hop artists, including the return of Eurogamer rap battler Snoop Dogg and the introduction of Nicki Minaj. Tomb Raider's Lara Croft is also on the way.

Speaking of pets, today's news has brought to my attention the recent introduction of Sgt. Pspsps to Call of Duty - a feline/human hybrid skin which seemed to divide fans over whether things were starting to get a little too silly, or whether things had already been rather silly for quite some time.

And hey, this all feels a little familiar! Ah.