We're a long way from the launch of COD 2020, but that hasn't stopped information being revealed about a potential Black Ops reboot.
Treyarch's new Vietnam based title, now likely to be called Call of Duty Vietnam, is still on course to release this fall.
The game is still set to be based within the Black Ops universe and while many were expecting a reboot or the fifth game in the franchise (Black Ops 5) it seems that is becoming less and less likely.
Here's what we know about COD Vietnam.
Be sure to bookmark this page and check back regularly for the latest information.
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Check out more about COD 2020 by clicking the links below:
- Latest News
- Reveal Date
- Developers
- Release Date
- COD 2020 Name
- Multiplayer
- Beta
- Campaign
- Blackout 2.0
- Zombies
- Weapons
- Maps
Latest News
COD 2020 Announcement Imminent? - 14th May
A number of Treyarch staff members have blacked out their Twitter headers and deleted a number of tweets recently including David Vonderhaar, Brian Tuey, Dan Bunting, Ben Brinkman and Dan Olson.
This is very reminiscent of past Black Ops game reveals and could signal something is coming soon.
COD Vietnam Might Be COD 2020 According To Jason Schreier - 22nd April
Jason Schreier also believes that the next Call of Duty is connected to the Black Ops universe but is called COD: Vietnam.
COD 2020 NOT A Black Ops Game? - 21st April
According to notorious Call of Duty leaker, TheGamingRevolution, COD 2020 is NOT a Black Ops game but is connected to the Black Ops universe.
Treyarch Banner Found In Modern Warfare Teasing COD 2020? - 30th March
An unreleased banner has been found in the Modern Warfare game files and it's theorised this could be a teaser for the next game.
It's been known that in past COD games to tease the next iteration within the game itself.
In BO2 we had the Ghosts logo on a Riot Shield and a Snapchat QR code. Black Ops 3 also teased Infinite Warfare.
The calling card is animated and it's unknown what it could mean or how you unlock it at this time.
When Is The COD 2020 Reveal?
Leaker LongSensationYT has hinted that a reveal will arrive in May.
This was backed up by notorious leaker TheGamingRevolution who claimed that the reveal will come in a month and a half.
One of his sources all sent him the lyrics to the song 'Russians' by Sting, which he believes could be the song used in one of the reveal trailers.
Who Is Developing Black Ops 2020?
Call of Duty usually follows a three-year development cycle between Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Treyarch Studios.
Despite it being Sledgehammer's turn to get down and dirty, Treyarch will be taking the reigns on the COD 2020 project.
This is alleged to be due to massive overhaul and shift in the development team from Sledgehammer to Treyarch.
This leak revealed that Treyarch 2021 game is being brought forward due to the trouble that Sledgehammer faced and they will only be providing a support role on this year's Call of Duty.
Read More: COD 2020 Release Date Confirmed For This Fall - Treyarch Not Confirmed As Developer
Release Date & Platforms
As it stands, there is no official release date for COD 2020 - but it has been confirmed to arrive in its usual fall slot.
However, Call of Duty launches land in a consistent time frame year-on-year. In the past two years, the game launched in October, but before this, they arrived in the first week of November.
You can expect Black Ops 2020 to fall within the October time unless extra development time is needed to add polish to the game and allow time for a beta.
We can assume that the game will release initially for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC with the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 arriving later on.
Nintendo systems haven't seen a Call of Duty game since Call of Duty: Ghosts on the Wii U and its unlikely we will see one any time soon.
It wouldn't be a surprise to hear that Treyarch has been developing their Call of Duty for the PS5 and Xbox Series X; creating a ported version for Xbox One and the PS4 later.
Alternatively, with development time being cut the game could be delayed to debut on next-gen platforms.
What Is COD 2020?
A few leaks have revealed what the name for Black Ops 2020 might be, at the moment, the game is codenamed 'Project Zeus'.
Here are the likely names it could be:
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Call of Duty: Black Operations
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 5/V
- Call of Duty: V
- Call of Duty: Vietnam
It's hardly a surprise that Treyarch will opt to stay in the Black Ops franchise as it is a recognised and successful branch of the Call of Duty title.
Last year, YouTuber LongSensation leaked the two potential names, although we are still no closer to determining whether it's a reboot or a continuation of the Black Ops series.
Usually, leaks can be hard to believe, however, LongSensation has a good track record as he shared the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare title name before its official reveal in 2019.
LongSensation claims that the game is based during the Cold War, spanning 40+ years and will include the Vietnam and Korean War.
Sledgehammer Games were originally creating 'Call of Duty: Vietnam', according to a Reddit user, until Treyarch took over.
According to Call of Duty leaker TheGamingRevolution, the next game is NOT a Black Ops game but is connected to the Black Ops universe.
Along with DKDynamite1, he discusses how the next game could be a soft reboot of the game and that the new title could be called Call of Duty: Vietnam.
DKDynamite discusses how the next title's status, regarding whether it is a hard or soft reboot, is dependant on the voice actors that are used; rumours are looming that Mason and Woods are being recast. They may revisit the past story in a different way.
A major talking point about this year's Call of Duty campaign is that it was gritty and gruesome, Black Ops 2020 is rumoured to take it a step further compared to Modern Warfare.
Considering the development cycle has been cut short by one year, its easy to see how this game could be rushed and heavily scaled back.
Black Ops 4 was in development for three-years and was extremely reminiscent of Black Ops 3, to the point it was hard to distinguish the two. Could Black Ops 2020 be worse if it has less development time?
Recently, TheGamingRevolution confirmed that the game will be on the Modern Warfare engine, which was developed by Infinity Ward Poland.
There are also reportedly NO supply drops!
MW2 Remastered
Treyarch will give it their best effort to get Black Ops 2020 out on time, but it would be no surprise to see the game delayed and the time filled with the rumoured MW2 Remastered.
Most recently, Twitter user Okami13_ (known for being an accurate source of leaked information) Tweeted, claiming they knew that a Modern Warfare 2 remaster was in the works, AND it was being prepped for a 2020 release.
MW2 Remastered became subject to plenty of speculation in 2019 as the European ratings board gave a PEGI rating of 18 for a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered.
Australian fans have noticed that the classification board listed "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered" as 15+, back in May 2019.
It's assumed this is regarding the campaign, but plenty of eagle-eyed fans have been quick to point out that this is quite low for a campaign; leading to many speculate that this is for a multiplayer mode.
Originally, rumours suggested that MW2 Remastered would arrive with Modern Warfare in 2019 (similar to how Modern Warfare Remastered and Infinite Warfare were bundled together at launch). It's assumed that due to positive reception, this idea was scrapped.
The game has recently been added to the South Korean ratings board and has been officially rated.
Read More: MW2 Remastered: Release Has Been Delayed, COD 2020 Is Now Modern Warfare 2 Remastered
Multiplayer
We have no official details about the multiplayer and we probably won't see anything until early Summer. Previously, this has been done as a livestream reveal within the developer studios. For Modern Warfare, they revealed an Alpha version of the Gunfight game mode, hosted by four influencers.
The only real confirmed detail regarding the multiplayer is that there will be no jetpacks, thanks to David Vonderhaar's recent Tweet.
On the leaks front, TheGamingRevolution recently spoke about what we can expect in the multiplayer from his "sources".
Maps are going back to the classic 3-lane setup and are aiming to be "less cluttered".
Large player modes are set to return, with Ground War games hosting 64 player lobbies (32 vs 32) - games will have 5 flags just like Modern Warfare.
Health regen, as it stands, is not automatic and is manual, just like Black Ops 4; although this may change for full release.
A few killstreaks have been mentioned including the traditional UAV and Counter UAV. There's also a Bomber Plane (currently without a name) that will destroy streaks in the sky. A dog killstreak is also being included, but its mechanics are unknown; it could be similar to the Riley killstreak or the Black Ops 4 specialist.
Operators are also returning, instead of specialists.
Beta
A beta for the Call of Duty multiplayer has released, without fail, every year since Black Ops 3.
The first beta for last year's Call of Duty arrived on the 12th September (just a month from launch).
Treyarch would be wise to put out a beta as early as possible and use this time extensively to smooth out any bugs and issues with the game; especially as their development time has been cut by a third.
Campaign
The Call of Duty campaign historically was revealed at E3, but this hasn't been the case recently. Modern Warfare was revealed before E3 2019 and we're expecting this to be the same situation this year.
The campaign is likely to be a Cold War Deep Dive, following real-life Vietnam War events according to TheGamingRevolution. It will retell the story from the perspective of the US, South Vietnam and Viet Cong.
Raven Software has built a large part of the campaign already and a lot of it will be used to form the final product with Treyarch stepping in.
Alex Mason and Sargent Frank Woods will return in the campaign with new actors - the game will use similar threads from the old story to create an entirely new campaign.
He also mentions that we could play from the perspective of Woods and that Mason is in the first mission of the campaign.
Read More: Black Ops 5: Story Set In The Cold War And Vietnam For COD 2020?
Blackout 2.0/Battle Royale
While there is no confirmation about a battle royale or Blackout 2.0, Treyarch is allegedly very happy with its first attempt at a Call of Duty battle royale mode.
Treyarch believes that there is still a lot more that can be done to make Blackout the ultimate battle royale experience on consoles.
At the recent Warzone capture event, before the launch of Call of Duty: Warzone, influencers were told that was the last Call of Duty Battle Royale.
TheGamingRevolution theorises that the free-to-play game Sledgehammer are developing for 2021 could be a battle royale based on the new Black Ops game; it is a spin-off of the franchise and not the main game.
It reportedly has battle royale elements and will be open world.
Read More: COD 2020 Battle Royale News: Will Blackout Be In Black Ops 5?
Zombies
The Treyarch Zombies storyline came to an arguably anti-climatic conclusion during Black Ops 4's DLC 4. "Tag Der Toten" was a remake of the Black Ops 1 Zombies map Call of the Dead.
In the final map, you play as the Victus crew and aim to solve the paradox that has unfolded and strive to put an end to the chaotic story that has unfolded over the past 10 years.
So what's next for Call of Duty zombies? TheGamingRevolution has claimed that it is VERY different from what has come before it.
There will still be perks, pack-a-punch and other core features, but there will be more barriers to play and different ways to play the mode.
Reports claim that Tranzit will be released on disc, but it's not a very reliable source. It's worth mentioning that a DLC 5 was intended to arrive in Black Ops 4 (as Zombie Chronicles 2) but was cancelled; this is evident by the number of remastered assets in the game from past zombie maps.
Theories are surfacing that these assets have been held back for release in Black Ops 2020.
But what is the story? It's still up in the air whether it will follow a similar strand to the original story or whether it will be a reboot, similar to Modern Warfare, using the same characters and concepts rather than the same story.
What's for certain is that the Chaos story will NOT be returning. The Chaos story was not enjoyed by the community and what they have really warmed to is a more realistic and grounded style. It's rumoured the new story will be based around Vietnam to reflect the tone of the game.
TheGamingRevolution believes the remakes could be based around the Victus crew and set after Tag Der Toten in the Dark Aether.
He also feels that there could be more DLC for zombie maps than usual as all multiplayer maps will be free - there could even be a zombies pass.
TheGamingRevolution has shared leaked concept art (see below video) from the original Black Ops game that depicts Vietnam styled zombies, which may give us an indication of what to expect in Black Ops 2020.
Read More: Black Ops 5: Zombies News, Characters, Chaos Story and Details for COD 2020
Weapons
So far, the only leaked weapon appears to be the flamethrower - which isn't confirmed to be part of your custom load-outs.
If the game is to take place during the Cold War, the type of weapons you may expect to see are as follows:
- M16
- M3
- M1 Carbine
- M49
- M60
- M73
- PK Machine Gun
- RPK
- AK-47
- AK-74
- Zastava M76
If you played the original Black Ops game, the arsenal selection will likely be very similar, bar a few additions.
Maps
While we've had no official information, TheGamingRevolution has once again utilised his sources to get some intel on what some of the maps look like.
As mentioned before, most maps will go back to the traditional three-lane map setup.
One Ground War map is a massive ice map, featuring a three laned map. This includes a big frozen lane in the middle, a forest on the left side and plenty of bunkers and a train on the right.
This map will include vehicles such as snowmobiles and tanks while being set in Vietnam. It also has a powerful flamethrower weapon.
As for 6v6 maps? One map is described to have a warehouse, with a gigantic open field in the centre. It also features a sniper tower and a river that runs from one spawn to another.
Another map looked like it was set in a Russian city. The left side of the map has plenty of cars and is quite clustered; TheGamingRevolution's sources feel the map is too big for 12 players.
It's just not a Black Ops title unless Nuketown makes an appearance, you can expect to see a version of this chaotic model village as a core map or pre-order bonus.
Although COD fans are hopeful to see plenty of new content, the reality is that development time has been drastically cut, so it is expected that a significant portion of the maps will be remade or inspired variations.
Black Ops 4 launched with fourteen maps - four of which were remakes.