Call of Duty: Black Ops is a staple when it comes to alternating annual releases, but it looks like the next game could be in trouble. For those unaware, Activision has three specific studios working on this FPS franchise: Infinity Ward, which is releasing Modern Warfare this year, Sledgehammer Games, and Treyarch. The reason for this is to allow for annual updates to happen on-time, but with three-year wiggle room for each studio as a form of quality check. That being said, there has been so much hype surrounding Modern Warfare, which has cast an even darker shadow on the Black Ops entries. Now a new report is saying that the next Black Ops has seen a switch-up that could negatively impact not only BO, but Sledgehammer’s entry as well.
A new report from ‘TheGamingRevolution, a reliable source that has accurately leaked a remarkable about of Call of Duty info, is saying that Call of Duty 2020 will have both Sledgehammer and Treyarch working side-by-side, which bumps Treyarch down to a two-year cycle given that Black Ops 4 was released just last year. The reasoning behind the shared property? According to reports, Raven Software and Sledgehammer Games couldn’t settle on a shared idea for what the next Call of Duty would offer, which allegedly caused Activision to slide Treyarch in there as support. Not only does this raise a few red flags for the 2020 entry, but it also means that Treyarch’s three-year focus on what the next Black Ops will offer will be very much divided.
Because Activision has had their full attention on marketing Modern Warfare, and it’s far too early in their usual teaser schedule, we don’t know for sure what the next 2020 game will be, nor do we know what Black Ops 5 will offer. According to several rumors, it will be set in the Cold War – but nothing has been confirmed thus far so we’re keeping that firmly in the rumor pile for now.
While some long-time Call of Duty fans may be concerned, it’s important to take every bit of info listed above with a grain of salt as we always say. Activision has not publicly shared whether or not they have combined studio efforts, though we have reached out for comment.
As for Call of Duty Modern Warfare, the highly anticipated re-imagining will launch on October 25 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
