Leaks and rumors continue to swirl aroundCall of Duty 2020, especially since nary a peep was heard about it at the recentPlaystation 5 game reveal event. No news about the next main-lineCall of Dutygame this late into the year is practically unprecedented, but it will almost certainly launch some time this year to capitalize on the momentum ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare, which is arguably the most popularCoDgame yet. With various game modes leaked including a battle royale mode, there are many questions about how the two games will relate and whether or not they will step on each other’s toes.
Call of Duty 2020is rumored to be the nextBlack Ops, set in the Cold War era. It could be a soft reboot, much like the currentModern Warfare, or take any number of other twists and turns in its presentation. The major concern aboutCoD 2020is how it will relate toModern Warfare, which is insanely popular. WhileModern WarfareandBlack Opsare made by different developers, the publisher, Activision, will need to be strategic about maintainingModern Warfare’s playerbase while still using its popularity to boostCall of Duty 2020.
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CoD 2020 Development
Another big question mark is the development process forCall of Duty2020. The game is rumored to have a massive file size and abattle royale mode, and is releasing remarkably close toModern Warfare. WhileModern WarfareandBlack Opstitles always feel very different, it would certainly make sense forCoD 2020’s developer Treyarch to use the same engine asModern Warfareto make building a framework for battle royale and other game modes as easy as possible.
Even if they do use the same engine, the games can still have totally different mechanics and feel entirely separate from each other. For example, countless games have been made in Unreal engine that are practically unrecognizable from each other. There is at least a little evidence for the two sharing resources in the presence of theGalil inModern Warfare’s season 4. The Galil has typically only been inBlack Opsgames, so adding it in may be a way to take advantage of in-engine resources being made for the other game.
CoD 2020is also rumored to have skill based matchmaking, which, again might be a holdover fromModern Warfare’s engine. While two games in the same engine but developed by different teams can feel very different, they would still be subject to many of the same inherent flaws. Large file sizes, issues with PC optimization, and rampant cheating might also end up as inadvertent side effects, plaguing bothModern WarfareandCoD 2020. The benefit would be ease of development, but the downsides might outweigh the positives.
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All that being said, the lack of an announcement this late into the year lends credence to rumors thatCoD 2020is experiencing delays and setbacksduring development, and might even be delayed far into the future. If it is having that many issues during development, then it might not be using the well-charted engine that was already used forModern Warfare. Still, issues in development can stem from many other parts of the process, not just a buggy engine. Problems with design, implementation, or balancing might be holding up development instead.
At the very least,CoD 2020may change up a few of the complaints withModern Warfare, from map design to interactable doors.Black Opshas always been home to a faster, closer, and more frenetic type of combat thanModern Warfare, which usually has slightly larger and more complex maps. ManyModern Warfarefans have been craving small maps, as evidenced by fan-favorite playlists like Shipment 24/7. How that style of combat will translate into battle royale remains to be seen, but it will definitely need to set itself apart from the currentWarzonein order to find much success.
Implications of CoD 2020
Many of the most successful FPS franchises these days take a very different approach than the traditionalCall of Dutymodel. Games likeRainbow 6 Siege,Counter Strike,Overwatch, andBattlefieldhave relied on releasing a single title with constant content updates, making most of their money on cosmetics, rather than new game sales.Modern Warfareseems to be taking a similar approach with regular seasonal updates, and it has been extremely successful. It might not make sense to do a yearly release of newCall of Dutygames at this point, given the massive, continued success ofModern Warfareand the expense of developing new games.
Perhaps thelong wait forCoD 2020is a sign that Activision will move towards a slower release schedule forCall of Dutytitles, spacing outModern WarfareandBlack Opsmore than a year apart for the foreseeable future. Even now,Black Opswill have to be one knockout game if it’s going to draw fans fromModern Warfare. On top of that, drawing fans fromModern Warfarewould likely be bad business in the first place.CoD 2020’s biggest competitor should beBattlefield 6, not anotherCall of Dutytitle. For now, all anyone can do is wait and see how it all pans out, and hope that whatever ends up happening will mean more good games and better content for fans.
