The first details about the single-player campaign of Treyarch's next Call of Duty game, rumored to be subtitled Black Ops Gulf War, have emerged online. The main takeaway from the leak is that the 2024 Call of Duty game will supposedly fully embrace the open-world missions from Modern Warfare 3.

While multiple insiders initially reported that Treyarch's next shooter was slated to release in 2023, Activision is understood to have eventually pushed it back to 2024, switching its place in the series' annual lineup with Modern Warfare 3. As a result, the upcoming FPS is believed to be the first-ever installment in the long-running franchise with a four-year development cycle. A November 2023 leak alleged that the game would be called Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War, thus also pointing to its apparent early '90s setting.

Related

Call of Duty May Not Be Coming to Game Pass, Leaker Claims

An established leaker claims that the Call of Duty series may end up skipping Xbox Game Pass as part of Microsoft's major strategic shift.

Black Ops Gulf War May Mark Call of Duty's Second Attempt at Open-World Story Mode

Insider Gaming now reports that the 2024 Call of Duty will feature an open-world single-player campaign, citing sources familiar with the matter. The story mode is allegedly being handled by Raven Software, while Treyarch is in charge of its multiplayer features, as per the same source. That claim tracks with the fact that Raven Software has yet to get a shot at a standalone Call of Duty game, but has assisted in the development of 14 series entries—including all five existing Black Ops titles—since 2010.

The Modern Warfare 3 campaign has already experimented with open-world levels, but that move received a largely negative response from the fans and critics alike. Many players have argued that its so-called Combat Missions are essentially Warzone matches with AI opponents, while others labeled the campaign as the series' single-player low point. Although Black Ops Gulf War is said to continue with the open-world story missions, Insider Gaming's sources claim its campaign was built from the ground up instead of recycling content this time around.

Black Ops Gulf War Campaign Rumored To Be Closer to Far Cry Than Call of Duty

The same report describes the game's single-player experience as something closer to Far Cry than Modern Warfare 3, while noting that some linear missions will still be included. A fast travel system is also said to be part of the package, together with a returning cast of Black Ops characters such as Adler. While the series was never known for offering prolonged single-player experiences, the length of its 2024 story campaign remains unclear. The 2025 Call of Duty, code-named Saturn, is currently planned to have an open-world campaign as well, according to the same source.

The social media reactions to this rumor have been mixed. While some fans expressed optimism at the possibility of getting a fully original single-player campaign in an open setting, others offered more doubtful takes. A lot of that skepticism appears to stem from the fact that Modern Warfare 3 ended up being the worst-rated mainline game in Call of Duty history, primarily due to the lackluster nature of its single-player campaign. Many fans hence seem to be exercising caution until they learn more about the upcoming shooter, which is expected to hit the market in October 2024.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Call of Duty: Black Ops is a series of Call of Duty games developed by Treyarch. The series began in 2008 with Call of Duty: World at War, which acted as a prologue to the series, and there have been a further five games since.

Along with the change in development studios, the Black Ops series also differentiates itself from the other Call of Duty games by having a separate timeline, different weapons, and covert operation missions.