The next entry in the annualised Call of Duty series, set to release in 2024, will be a new entry in the Black Ops sub-series and set in the Gulf War, according to a new report from Windows Central.
The outlet cites “multiple sources familiar with Activision’s plans” in revealing that developer Treyarch is working on the game, and is the longest the studio has ever worked on a Call of Duty project. The release date is slated for “late fall, early winter 2024 [Northern Hemisphere].”
Activision sources reportedly suggested that the next Call of Duty will attempt to explore a “nuanced narrative” of the Gulf War, with a “critical focus on different participants within the conflict.” The involvement of the CIA and the United States appears to be the primary focal point, however.
The notorious Gulf War occurred in the early 1990s, when a UN-authorised and US-led coalition of countries carried out a series of armed conflicts against Iraq, led by President Saddam Hussein, following the country’s invasion of Kuwait.
Windows Central reports that the as-yet-untitled “Black Ops 6” will focus on “traditional military combat technology” and “familiar Black Ops gadgetry” instead of the near-future weaponry that the series has explored in recent entries. The most recent Black Ops game focused on cover operations set during the Cold War.
This information comes shortly after the 2023 release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which received near-universal criticism based on its campaign. Critic James O’Connor remarked that the game was “mired in a convoluted plot about the least interesting people on the planet trying to prevent another very uninteresting man from making a bunch of stuff explode.”
It also comes in the wake of Microsoft completing its acquisition of Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard, and pledging to bring the series to PlayStation and Nintendo consoles for the next ten years.
