The Call of Duty franchise is experiencing its annual lull as interest starts to pivot to what 2024’s release has to offer. Following the mixed reception Sledgehammer Games received with the launch of 2023’s Modern Warfare 3, players were quick to notice its rehashed feel despite publisher Activision constantly reiterating that the game was a new release.
With Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War all-but confirmed by Xbox as the 2024 CoD game, a release date reveal is just around the corner. But is a return to Black Ops the best move for Activision's long-running FPS series? Absolutely.
For 2024, Treyarch is back, spearheading a Call of Duty much to the delight of fans who believe its Black Ops series features some of the best games in the franchise’s history. To top it off, Treyarch has had three years to develop a game, a length of time unheard of for devs working on the CoD franchise.
Modern Warfare 3 may have missed the mark with a rushed campaign and a lacklustre zombies offering, but its multiplayer continues to draw players in thanks to its impressive array of post-launch content. Even now, Modern Warfare 3 Season 3 Reloaded aims to add even more content to the maligned FPS sequel.
However, the Black Ops hype train is preparing to leave the station and there’s a high chance Treyarch’s sixth Black Ops title makes Call of Duty great again.
The early hope for the success of the rumored Black Ops Gulf War comes from a leak allegedly unveiling the weapon arsenal, multiplayer, perks, grenades, field upgrades, and scorestreaks. As with all leaks, it’s impossible to determine whether the game is good or not but with a total of 55 weapons expected to arrive on Black Ops Gulf War’s release date without any carry-forward initiative to fall back on, there’s plenty of unique weaponry to master. Combine enough weapon variety with gunplay Treyarch has had three years to fine-tune and the game already sounds like an exciting prospect.
Scorestreaks are back on the table too. Killstreaks have been the main choice for Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward in recent years and despite the option to switch between kills and scores to earn game-changing items, it looks like Treyarch has committed to scorestreaks. Since arriving in Black Ops 2, I’ve always preferred scorestreaks to killstreaks. The idea of rewarding actions such as holding a Hardpoint hill incentivises playing the objective rather than running around the map aimlessly looking to secure the next elimination.
Although the leak didn’t specify any information surrounding the maps for Black Ops Gulf War, Treyarch’s track record of creating Call of Duty’s best battlegrounds is extremely good. The likes of Raid, Standoff, Firing Range, and Nuketown continue to prove popular and with the potential for more traditional, three-laned maps to arrive is an exciting prospect for both casual and competitive fans.
Maps along with their spawn logic often make or break a Call of Duty multiplayer and considering Modern Warfare 3 and 2022’s Modern Warfare 2 struggled to create a logical system, many expect Treyarch to deliver on maps where players can manipulate spawns to gain an advantage while their opponents have the option to break their control.
Of course, it’s not just multiplayer that makes a Call of Duty game successful. The Black Ops storyline has delivered many memorable moments. Who can forget finding out what the numbers mean for the first time or the truth behind the enigmatic Victor Reznov?
2023’s Modern Warfare 3 campaign marked a low point for the single-player offering. It was rushed, and the “twist” at the end made little sense and opened the door for yet another Modern Warfare title rather than a change of direction. The Black Ops Cold War campaign was solid enough and with Frank Woods and Alex Mason still on the hunt for the enigmatic Perseus antagonist, there’s plenty of potential for Treyarch to offer players a thought-out story that doesn’t come crashing down with an anti-climactic ending.
The third and final chance Treyarch has to make Call of Duty great again is by delivering a co-op experience fans have been craving for since the conclusion of the Black Ops 3 cycle. Zombies has become a staple of the franchise since arriving all the way back in World at War and after the first iteration of Modern Warfare Zombies fell flat despite showcasing some interesting takes on a PvE shooter, a return to classic round-based action is a must. There’s something extremely satisfying about building a train of undead opponents during a high round before blasting them into oblivion with a Pack-a-Punched Ray Gun.
Black Ops Gulf War, or Black Ops V, will be the first Black Ops title without David Vonderhaar in charge. Responsible for laying the foundations for Call of Duty esports, Vonderhaar made it cool to be good at a game and to show off skills with dedicated ladders that offer players a chance to face of against the best of the best. With Vonderhaar gone, it’s a new era for Black Ops, and one that has the potential to propel Call of Duty into even greater heights.