A new Call of Duty happens every year, and 2021 is no exception. Fans know the next Call of Duty is in development at Sledgehammer Games, but as to what it is exactly is still under wraps. Rumors suggest it is a WW2-based game, with everything from Call of Duty: WW2 Vanguard to Slipstream reported as titles/code names.
Regardless, many are excited to see what comes of the franchise this year. Call of Duty games often top sales charts in the fall, and this year is likely to be no different. This would be especially true if there's some PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrades for the game, but if fans are wondering if a Call of Duty game is happening this year, well, it makes sense.
Black Ops Cold War Breaks Tradition With August Reveal
As seen below, the Call of Duty games have always followed a pattern of sorts. With the exception of Warzone, which in and of itself is a big exception to most Call of Duty rules, every game has released in either October or November. This means, as of this writing, fans are 3-4 months away from a new game...that hasn't been shown off yet. More importantly, fans should take note of the reveals of every Call of Duty game. Prior to Black Ops Cold War, the latest reveal of the game was World at War, which happened in June. Every other game was revealed in either April or May, yet that didn't happen last year or this year.
Last year, this was potentially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as this wrecked development at all levels. It could have also been due to the management of Warzone, as well as Activision wanting to reveal the game in Warzone. These all faced hurdles, and it explains why Black Ops Cold War broke a tradition 17 years in the making (at that point) when it was properly revealed on August 26.
- Call of Duty REVEALED Pre-E3 2003 RELEASED October 29, 2003
- Call of Duty 2 REVEALED April 7, 2005 RELEASED October 25, 2005
- Call of Duty 3 REVEALED May 6, 2006 RELEASED November 7, 2006
- Call of Duty 4: Modern WarfareREVEALED April 28, 2007 RELEASED November 5, 2007
- Call of Duty: World at WarREVEALED June 23, 2008 RELEASED November 11, 2008
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2REVEALED May 25, 2009 RELEASED November 10, 2009
- Call of Duty: Black OpsREVEALED April 30, 2010 RELEASED November 9, 2010
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 REVEALED May 13, 2011 RELEASED November 8, 2011
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 REVEALED May 1, 2012 RELEASED November 13, 2012
- Call of Duty: Ghosts REVEALED May 21, 2013 RELEASED November 5, 2013
- Call of Duty: Advanced WarfareREVEALED May 1, 2014 RELEASED November 4, 2014
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 3REVEALED April 26, 2015 RELEASED November 6, 2015
- Call of Duty: Infinite WarfareREVEALED May 2, 2017 RELEASED November 4, 2016
- Call of Duty: WWIIREVEALED April 26, 2017 RELEASED November 3, 2017
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4REVEALED May 17, 2018 RELEASED October 12, 2018
- Call of Duty: Modern WarfareREVEALED May 30, 2019 RELEASED October 25, 2019
- Call of Duty: Warzone REVEALED March 9, 2020 RELEASED March 10, 2020
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - REVEALED August 26, 2020 RELEASED November 13, 2020
What's Happening With Call of Duty 2021
Thus, the question becomes what's happening with the new game. Call of Duty 2021 has had some rumored development troubles, which could be caused or worsened by the pandemic. Much like Black Ops Cold War, rumors also suggest that the game will be revealed via Warzone, and this makes a lot of sense given that Warzone and CoD 2021 will also integrate. Not to mention, with the influx of CoD games, announcing one too early could unintentionally harm those on the market currently. So, unless there's some big change announced soon, it just makes sense that CoD 2021 is in the same boat as Black Ops Cold War.
The biggest question to come of this is if this will lead to a permanent shift of Call of Duty reveals. Two years could be a coincidence, but when/if Call of Duty 2022 happens, it'll be interesting to see if it's revealed in April, May, or is another late bloomer.
Call of Duty 2021 is in development.