Expectations are high for the nextCall of Dutygame, especially with fans souring onModern Warfare 2. Treyarch expanding its lineup of developers and getting an extra year to develop its game has gotten fans talking, but with 2023 set to be the first year without a newpremiumCoDgame, it could be some time before more official information is revealed about it. However, Treyarch may have left a pretty obvious teaser behind forBlack Ops Cold Warfans to discover.
The only reasons this hint is likely not being discussed more are the general divisiveness aroundBlack Ops Cold Warand the mode where it is located.Call of DutyZombies has always been fairly niche, and though additions like Outbreak have made the mode grow more popular, not everyone keeps up with the storyline and main quest Easter eggs. However, those that do will have surely noticed the time jump that takes place at the end of Forsaken, the final round-based map released forCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
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Call of Duty 2024 May Be Set in 1990
The ending ofForsaken’s main questwas full of some major moments and reveals. The director of Requiem was confirmed to be Eddie, the final version of Richtofen that escaped the Aether timeline alongside Samantha. Sam herself was trapped inside the Dark Aether once again, taking The Forsaken with her and saving humanity from the monstrous entity. Her allies in Requiem were also betrayed by Eddie and arrested, leaving their fates unclear. However, the most important moment comes after all of this.
Peck is shown to be hunting for the members of Requiem and is planning a rescue that will likely take place inthe first Zombies map forCall of Duty2024, and he points to a random island in the middle of an ocean which will likely serve as the setting of said map. However, the scene with Peck takes place five years after the previous one, indicating a time skip for the Dark Aether storyline. With Forsaken taking place in 1985, this puts the most recent moment in the timeline in 1990, and this date may be shared across Treyarch’s entire next game.
Obviously, this is just speculation, and one point to disprove this theory would be thatCall of DutyZombies’ storyhas not always stuck to the timeline seen in the rest of the game.Black Ops 3’s beloved version of the mode is a prime example of this, as Shadows of Evil’s Morg City borrows nothing from the futuristic multiplayer or campaign outside of weaponry and the wallrunning mechanics. However, if the same format asBlack Ops Cold Waris utilized, then sharing assets - and a setting - is highly likely.
Though it is true that the Aether story was separated from the campaigns and multiplayer, the same can not be said for the Dark Aether narrative, as Treyarch has ensured it is canon to the mainBlack Opstimelineby using characters like Weaver. WithBlack Ops Cold WarZombies occurring around the same time as the campaign and multiplayer, it can be assumed thatCall of Duty2024’s mode will be the same way. In turn, if Zombies is set around 1990, then the campaign and multiplayer likely will be as well. Zombies has also reused more and more assets from the other game modes lately, so keeping all the modes set at the same time will make this far easier to do.
With it making sense from both a gameplay and storytelling perspective that 1990 is the setting for Zombies and multiplayer, Forsaken may have already told fans something about Treyarch’s next game. A full-onGulf War gamewould be something new for the franchise, and with Treyarch thriving whenever it focuses on historical conflicts, this could be a great direction to go in. With leaked images suggesting that a focus on Operation Desert Storm is a possibility, too, those desperate for info on the future ofCall of Dutymight already have some.
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