2020 has been a surprisingly good year for Call of Duty. Modern Warfare and Warzone have seen even more continued success compared to any of its predecessors. Thanks to Warzone becoming the latest and greatest battle royale craze and Modern Warfare receiving continued content updates and balance changes, both have made 2019's Call of Duty momentum extend far beyond any previous year. But like every year there's always another Call of Duty annual release on the horizon.
At least usually there is, but the fate of 2020's Call of Duty seems a bit more uncertain this time around. Tons of leaks and rumors have noted significant development troubles for this year's entry in the iconic shooter franchise. June has now gone by, several months late from when an annual Call of Duty game is typically teased or unveiled. With Activision and Treyarch completely silent despite the swirling rumors and reports, it's very possible this year's Call of Duty may break the annual release schedule.
Initial Development Concerns
Fans first heard of Call of Duty 2020's development troubles from a Kotaku report in May 2019, stating that Sledgehammer's Call of Duty was in a state of "upheaval" that forced Treyarch to intervene. Now, Sledgehammer Games' Call of Duty title has allegedly been put on hold and Treyarch will be fast-forwarding development on a Black Ops sequel for 2020 instead. Since then, numerous rumors and leaks have come out about the game, ranging from the setting to its place in the Black Ops canon. Regardless, stories of development troubles for this year's Call of Duty didn't stop there.
Leaks and reports from as early as October 2019, and as recent as this week, have all noted continued development issues for the next Call of Duty game. Conceptually the game was having trouble narrowing down the setting and title of the game, whether it would truly be Black Ops 5 or a potential Black Ops reboot similar to Modern Warfare.
Two dueling rumors allege that the game will take place during the Cold War, but at two varying degrees of complexity. Much of this was also all before the pandemic and social distancing guidelines forcing various developers to work from home, which in many cases has produced delays across the whole video game industry.
An Allegedly Delayed Reveal
As May rolled around, many were expecting the presumably inevitable Call of Duty reveal trailer that never came. Eventually, rumors popped up about a potential reveal during the PS5's reveal event in June, but Sony's event came and went without a Call of Duty trailer as well. Shortly after the event, several leakers and industry insiders had noted that Call of Duty 2020's reveal may not come any time soon, citing development was taking longer than expected. Practically every recent annual release for Call of Duty has had its debut trailer unveiled in April or May, which means this year is the first time this cycle has been broken.
According to a more recent leak from reputable insider Tom Henderson, 2020's Call of Duty reveal may have been delayed to August. Of course, Activision has been radio silent on the situation, despite the litany of information coming from leakers and other industry professionals. Considering the game hasn't been announced or revealed yet, Activision doesn't necessarily need to issue a statement on the matter. Despite setting a precedent with early summer reveals for Call of Duty before, there's nothing stopping Treyarch from delaying the game given the alleged position the studio is in currently.
Call of Duty May Delay to 2021
Obviously it's worth reiterating that 2020 has been an extraordinary year for video games, with the development on several games being severely impacted by Covid-19 restrictions. But as noted above, Call of Duty's 2020 release has been marred with several development issues long before the pandemic gripped the world's economy.
Shifting studios mid-development is absolutely not a decision made lightly, especially considering Treyarch was likely already developing its own respective Call of Duty game for 2021 as well. Reducing development time from two years to eight months has caused an understandable strain on the studio, having to scramble to nail down concepts and design for every game mode this early.
At the very least, Activision has a solid revenue cushion for a delay to be feasible. Thanks to the massive sales successes and momentum of both Modern Warfare and Warzone in 2020, Call of Duty doesn't necessarily need another entry yet. Players continue to enjoy Modern Warfare and Warzone extensively, with its seasonal content updates continuing to entice hardcore fans. Call of Duty has had the most momentum and recurrent players in Q2-Q3 than any other Call of Duty game before it, mostly thanks to Warzone. Should Treyarch's Call of Duty need more extensive development time, which a lot of these leaks seem to be inferring, it wouldn't be the end of the franchise.
But in the end, it does mark a serious break from the typical annual release schedule. Understandably, some fans would be disappointed, and some fans would be joyous for a delay. Assuming finances are not an issue, adding more development time to improve the game's quality is never a bad thing. In a few month's time, players will know for sure what the state of Call of Duty 2020 truly is.
Call of Duty 2020 is reportedly in development.