Shortly after Activision confirmed the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Ghosts, a trailer for the game has been posted to YouTube.

The short clip (below) features dark, ominous shots of various warriors sporting imposing masks – from tribal makeup to metal headgear.

“There are those who wear masks to hide. And those who wear masks to show us what they stand for,” a voiceover says. “To inspire. To unite. To defy. To strike fear in the hearts of their enemies, and hope in the hearts of their followers.”

“There are those who wear masks to protect themselves, and those who wear masks to protect us all,” the spot concludes.

Ghosts is expected to feature the adventures of Simon “Ghost” Riley, the British soldier last seen in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Call of Duty: Ghosts was developed by Infinity Ward and will be published by Activision on Nov. 5 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. The company will provide an exclusive first look at the game during Microsoft’s May 21 Xbox event.

Redmond is expected to unveil its next-gen Xbox at that event, which kicks off at 10 a.m. Pacific and will be webcast. Activision said Call of Duty: Ghosts will launch on next-generation platforms as well, so expect it to show up on the new Xbox and Sony’s PS4, both of which are expected by the 2013 holiday season.

“Everyone was expecting us to make Modern Warfare 4, which would have been the safe thing to do. But we’re not resting on our laurels,” Mark Rubin, executive producer of developer Infinity Ward, said in a statement(Opens in a new window). “We saw the console transition as the perfect opportunity to start a new chapter for Call of Duty. So we’re building a new sub-brand, a new engine, and a lot of new ideas and experiences for our players. We can’t wait to share them with our community.”

The GameStop pre-order page is selling versions of Call of Duty: Ghosts for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 for $59.99. Those who pre-order will get a GameStop exclusive limited edition two-sided poster, while GameStop PowerUp Rewards members will get the exclusive Call of Duty: Ghosts themed weapon camo for use in Call of Duty: Black Ops II.