Plenty of rumors and teases have been floating around the internet about the nextCall of Dutygame, though the series may have found an interesting way to tease the next iteration. Word and speculation seems to be leaning towards a Cold War setting, likely as another entry in the incredibly popularBlack Opssub-series. UsuallyCall of Dutygames get their reveals towards the beginning of summer, but since this year has been nothing but unprecedented for video games, the franchise may unveil the game throughWarzone.
ThroughWarzone’s massive popularity as a battle royale, it seems theCall of Dutyfranchise may be taking a page out ofFortnite’s book. Considering rumors and leaks have reached an all-time high, that usually signifies an official reveal by Activision is coming soon. Most recently, there’s been datamines and leaks ofBlack Ops-related content being added toWarzone, possibly as a tease for the next game which is reportedly calledCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
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Bunker 11
Starting with the rumors and leaks, it seemsWarzonewill at least be receiving some kind ofBlack Opstie-in soon. Themysterious bunkers discovered in an earlierWarzoneupdate are finally accessibleby normal means during a match. Some of these bunkers however contained even more mysteries within, with an additional door inside the bunker locked via access code. Players can find a telephone within the bunker that plays a secret message (in Russian) that opens the secretive 11th bunker. Of all the bunkers littered aroundWarzone’s map, bunker 11 is the only one that continues to shine a red light and is inaccessible via normal means. This bunker is directly linked to the meta-game that’s teasingBlack Ops Cold War.
Every bunker besides bunker 11 was unlockable, but now througha complicated side quest during eachWarzonematch, players can unlock this final largest bunker. Within are several rooms with an unlockable Mud Dauber SMG blueprint, but more importantly each room is part of a currently unsolved puzzle within bunker 11. Upon entering bunker 11, players need to head into a primary room to reactivate a computer system within the bunker. An additional room then displays a 10-second countdown, which subsequently only counts to two before glitching out. Searching in the back of the bunker, players can find a hole in the wall that takes them to another computer with a big red button. Pushing the button clears out a smoke-filled room revealing a nuclear warhead.
The Cold War is Coming
From there the mystery still remains unsolved, as triggering the true end to the countdown and/or the nuke detonation hasn’t been discovered yet. Obviously nuclear warheads and the Cold War go hand-in-hand, but that’s not the only reference toCall of Duty 2020. Dataminers have also discovered files for the RC-XD as well as a U-2 Spy Plane killstreak from the originalCall of Duty: Black Ops. There’s been too many leaks and rumors about an upcomingBlack Opstitle for this to be a coincidence. Pair that with the nuclear warhead easter egg, and it seemsWarzone’s leading up to a bigBlack OpsCold Warthemed event.
The prevailing theory is thatCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, or whatever the official name for 2020’sCall of Dutyends up being, will be officially teased/revealed through this event inWarzone. Considering the aforementioned content that was datamined, along with threat of nuclear detonation coming to the game itself, it only makes sense that Activision is usingWarzoneas an opportunity to advertise the next game. It’s a proven concept of direct communication to fans that games likeFortniteandApex Legendshave utilized in the past, and consideringWarzone’s immense popularity since the battle royale was released, it’s a golden opportunity.
Hinting At What’s to Come
Fans ofFortnitewill likely recognize this in-game teaser idea, as it’s something that the Epic Games battle royale has already been doing consistently. ExclusiveFortnite"Live Events" have featured things like gigantic mech battles, movie trailers,an actual in-game Travis Scott concert, even having the entire game “deleted” to make way for the next chapter.Fortnitehas pioneered this unique concept as a completely new way to utilize a game’s ubiquity to be more than the sum of its parts.Call of Dutywanting to capitalize on this trend, especially with the first reveal for its next game, is a fantastic idea despite any marketing risk the company may be taking.
In the case ofWarzone, it wouldn’t be surprising to witness a nuclear explosion being the catalyst for theBlack Opsor 2020Call of Dutytease. Granted this is also very optimistic, but it wouldn’t be a bad chance for the game tosignificantly alter or change Verdansk into a completely new map forWarzone. Given the bevy of leaks and information fans have received that’s pointing to a Cold War orBlack Opstitle coming this year, anticipation for the reveal is likely at its peak. In the coming weeks Treyarch will likely show what the developer has up its sleeve for 2020.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris reportedly in development for 2020.
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