It’s nearly April, which means we are a little over seven months away from the next Call of Duty release. It also means we are approaching the date Activision announces the name of that game.
Last year, Activision announced Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare: Remastered on May 2nd. The year before, Activision began teasing Black Ops III on April 9th and officially revealed it on April 26th.
It’s only March, but a YouTuber has apparently obtained leaked material from the upcoming Call of Duty title, and the information suggests that the franchise will be returning to its roots.
In the YouTube video, “TheFamilyVideoGamers” showed a received email from an anonymous source who states that they obtained imaged from someone working closely with Sledgehammer, the developer working on the next Call of Duty title. The images depict various states of warfare and include the Call of Duty branding as well as the lettering “WWII”. Several of the images appear to be game case designs, possibly for special editions of the upcoming game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTPhUavRfgY
The Call of Duty franchise began with games set in the WWII era and remained there until Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released. Since then, all games but World at War have been set in the modern era or in the future.
For the last three years, the franchise has experimented with advanced movements using jetpacks and other maneuvers. With three publishers alternating in three-year cycles, complaints from fans could not be immediately alleviated in the next game cycle.
Sledgehammer, the developers responsible Advanced Warfare and the introduction of jetpacks, are working on Call of Duty 2017.
In their 2016 earnings call, Activision told investors the Call of Duty franchise would be “returning to its roots” with “traditional combat”. A WWII setting would certainly fit the criteria.
Though the apparent leaks have not been disproven, Activision has not made an official announcement.
Call of Duty 2017 Rumors Abound
This is not the first time this year a rumor has come out concerning the new Call of Duty game. Last week, an image containing a list of games, publishers, and trailer type and length made its way around social media. The image claimed that the new game would be called Call of Duty: Chemical Warfare. The image, however, was of poor quality and was quickly declared to be false by multiple news outlets. Other rumors concerning the reveal date have also made their way around, but have been easily detected to be fake. Call of Duty: WWII, on the other hand, has been picked up by many sources, including Charlie Intel.
A return to WWII, or more specifically, a boots-on-the-ground game, is something both casual and competitive players have been asking for. Though Call of Duty has had major success in recent years, most players agree that slower, traditional gameplay that focuses on strategy creates a larger skill gap between professional and amateur players. While Call of Duty has always been considered a fast paced twitch shooter, recent games have been faster and even chaotic at times.
Whether the Call of Duty: WWII rumor is true or not, the good news for fans of older Call of Duty games is that the game this year has already been confirmed to be boots on the ground. It’s now only a matter of time until Activision release the official reveal for 2017’s game.
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Josh Billy is a long time Call of Duty fan. You can email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.