As Activision continues to reinvent the COD series with games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Warzone, a new game is right around the corner, that being Call of Duty 2020. With the undeniable success of Modern Warfare, it would make a ton of sense for Activision to reboot its other gigantic Call of Duty subfranchise: Black Ops.
RELATED: Call of Duty 2020 Title Possibly Revealed by Credible Leaker
The Call of Duty: Black Ops series was first introduced in 2010, and fans immediately gravitated towards the darker grittier tone on the shooter franchise. Taking place during the Cold War, Black Ops was able to go places that the series hadn’t before physically, but also in terms of storyline and gameplay. The series seemed to change its tone a bit with the later games, with Black Ops 3 taking place in 2065 for example, but the popularity of the games and the love for the dark campaign and balanced multiplayer cannot be argued, making many of the Black Ops games the best Call of Duty games.
Development Rumors for Call of Duty 2020
There are countless rumors as to what Call of Duty 2020 will be, including the idea that Call of Duty: Warzone will be tied to the next COD game, Black Ops 1 simply being remasteder from the ground up, and the next game not being a Black Ops title at all. Some of the leaks are very much contradictory.
The conflicting reports make sense, as Sledgehammer’s Call of Duty has been moved to 2021, among turmoil and development issues. Sledgehammer is the team behind Call of Duty: WWII and Advanced Warfare. Originally, it seemed as if Treyarch would be creating Call of Duty 2021; however, the seasoned developer has been moved up to Call of Duty 2020, giving it less time to create its game. Treyarch knows how to make games fast, though, as Call of Duty 3 was created in just 8 months.
Amid seemingly many developmental issues and Call of Duty titles being released outside of the cadence of every fall, some wondered if there would be a new COD title later this year at all. However, Activision confirmed that Call of Duty 2020 is still on track, meaning whatever game Treyarch was working on for 2021 has now been fast-forwarded to 2020.
Modern Warfare Reboot and a Black Ops Reboot to Follow
The Success of the Modern Warfare reboot is the perfect blueprint for a Black Ops reboot. And many do believe that Black Ops will be the next COD game. Part of the magic of 2019’s Modern Warfare is nostalgia, but the game itself is also developed with the core DNA that makes the series so special. The game launched with an emotional and explosive single-player campaign, a multiplayer that has been extensively supported, and a spec-ops co-op mode.
The trio of game modes is necessary for Modern Warfare. In the case of Black Ops, three modes would also need to be present in a remaster to capture the magic, that being a campaign, multiplayer, and the beloved Zombies. Black Ops 4 came without a single-player campaign, the biggest complaint to an otherwise solid title. There’s little doubt that a new Black Ops reboot would need a return to the dark and gritty campaign with Captain Frank Woods, and fans wouldn’t be happy with a campaign-less Black Ops reboot.
RELATED: Call of Duty: Warzone May Be Teasing A Black Ops Crossover
Multiplayer and Zombies would certainly need to return to a Black Ops reboot as well, with Zombies, in particular, being the mode that has become synonymous with Treyarch’s Call of Duty games. Activision has released games without core modes before, including Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered coming without multiplayer, but it would seem highly unlikely that a multiplayer mode wouldn’t be a part of a Black Ops remaster as the main Fall COD release.
Rumors have pointed to COD 2020 taking place in Vietnam, and perhaps even being named Call of Duty: Vietnam. It would be shocking for the game to be based in the Black Ops world and be named something else entirely, as the name alone drives in sales with its recognition. So if the name Vietnam is true, it’s more likely that the game is based on something else entirely. However, if the Black Ops reboot simply takes place in Vietnam that would make sense, as the original title used the location heavily.
Zombies or Black Out?
Along with heavy Vietnam based rumors, Zombies are almost definitely returning to Call of Duty for 2020. Treyarch has been making the Zombie mode since World at War, and any COD game that it develops without the mode would seem like a massive let down. That being said, another mode has come on strong as of late for Call of Duty overall, the battle royale.
Treyarch commenced the success of battle royales for Call of Duty with Blackout, and that has continued for COD: Mobile and now Warzone, which has hit insane milestone numbers in terms of player count. Many attribute some of the success for Modern Warfare to the battle royale that is playable within the title, even as Warzone is a free standalone game as well.
With such little development time and the idea that Sledgehammer’s 2021 COD may have a dedicated battle royale, Treyarch may have had to pick between its long-beloved Zombies or its newly popular Blackout. It would seem likely that one of them could have received the axe during development. Notably, however, Warzone may also simply be playable alongside the new Tryarch title, as rumors suggest it’ll grow and adapt alongside future franchise releases.
There are many possibilities for Call of Duty 2020. With how successful the reboot of Modern Warfare has been, and with the Black Ops games feeling a bit like the cult-classics in the franchise, it seems like a no-brainer to have a Black Ops reboot as well.
Call of Duty 2020 is currently in development.
MORE: Call of Duty: Warzone Bunkers’ Russian Phone Message Translated
