Call of Duty 2020 Will Be a Gritty and Realistic Black Ops Reboot

Reports emerged in April 2019 that for Call of Duty’s 2020 instalment, Activision would be breaking their three developers-cycle for the series, and that though it would have been Sledgehammer Games’ turn to release a new entry in the series, it would actually be Treyarch who would be taking the reins for the year. This was followed a few months later by a leak that stated that that game would be a reboot of the Black Ops continuity, and would feature a campaign whose story would span over 40 years.

Those details have re-emerged once again. Noted Call of Duty leaker TheGamingRevolution recently posted a video on YouTube in which they leaked a lot of alleged new details on this year’s Call of Duty entry. The video re-iterates that the game will be made by Treyarch, with Raven Software (co-developers of Call of Duty: Warzone) and Sledgehammer Games providing support. The game will apparently run on the Infinity Ward Poland engine, which is what was used for the development of Modern Warfare as well.

The video claims that Black Ops protagonists Alex Mason and Sergeant Frank Woods will be returning, but that they will be played by new actors. The campaign will supposedly span over 40 years – which is consistent with previous reports – and will focus on real-life events during the Cold War and the Vietnam War, with the latter especially being more of a focus than it was in the original Black Ops. The title is currently being called Codename: Zeus, and will either be released as Call of Duty: Black Ops or Call of Duty: Black Operations.

One this the video emphasis is that the game is going for a very realistic and grounded tone – even more so than last year’s Modern Warfare reboot – and that this entails some scenes with shock value, as well as a notable interrogation scene (Black Ops is no stranger to interrogation scenes, after all). The story will also be told through various perspectives, including the United States, South Vietnam, and Viet Cong.

Details on the game’s multiplayer have also emerged from the video. Apparently, there will be multiple 32v32 modes, including Ground War. Killstreaks will be returning, of course, but so, too, will Operators, which throws a big question mark on whether Specialists will return (probably not, if Operators do indeed return).

Multiplayer DLC will supposedly be free, as has been the case with Modern Warfare, though Activision are also allegedly currently considering a Battle Pass for Zombies. And yes, obviously, Zombies will be back, this time with a story focusing on Vietnam, and a tone much more grounded and realistic (in keeping with the campaign) than the campy fantasy stuff the series has generally veered toward with this mode.

The video also says that Sledgehammer Games are working on a free-to-play Call of Duty title that is scheduled for 2021 (which is something else that’s come up more than once of late). The game – which will supposedly be a spinoff, rather than the major mainline Call of Duty entry for that year – is said to feature an open world setting and battle royale elements, though there’s much about it that still remains unclear.

You can watch the full video below to get all the details.

As always, we’re going to have to file this away as a rumour, and until such time we hear something official from Activision, it’s best to take this with a grain of salt. It is interesting, however, that many of these details have been consistent across various reports and leaks over the last year or so, so there has to be something there.

Either way, we’ll keep you updated, so stay tuned.

In other news, it also looks like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered will be releasing sometime this year. Read more on that through here.