The Call of Duty franchise is nearing its 20th anniversary. Activision's FPS series continues to top sales and popularity charts, as more and more players drop into the series' multiplayer and single-player offerings.
With attention turning towards the upcoming launch of Modern Warfare 3, numerous leaks and rumours surrounding Sledgehammer Games' new title continue to arise. The latest of these claim to have revealed the game's launch maps, in addition to its gun list.
Now added to this deluge of speculation and hyped are some vague tweets from a number of prominent content creators suggesting that the "end of an era" is approaching for the series, much to the curiosity of players.
Is the end of a Call of Duty era upon us?
One of these creators, ProRebornYT, kicked off their post by claiming to have heard some information about CoD and declaring: "the internet will be in shambles when it surfaces."
As expected, players were quick to ask ProReborn for more information on what they'd heard. One inquired: "When do you think most will find out?", while another speculated: "Modern Warfare 3 is going to be the last Call of Duty to have a campaign?"
While some of the theories currently being circulated sound more outlandish than others, there's one that's appearing the most often in player circles. Another content creator, TDAWG responded to this speculation by declaring: "If David Vonderhaar (has) left the franchise I will literally cry for 48 hours straight."
Vonderhaar, the studio director of Treyarch, is synonymous with developing the Black Ops series and the first iteration of the Call of Duty ranked play system. If he departed the studio, it would certainly mark the end of an era, though, as of writing, this suggestion is yet to be confirmed or acknowledged in any official capacity.
In addition to the idea of Vonderhaar potentially leaving Treyarch, one player believes the end of the era being alluded to could affect the future of the series. The player theoried: "(The) Black Ops series (could) end and be caught up with the Modern Warfare timeline."
For now, it's important to take all of this speculation with a hefty pinch of salt until official information emerges.
For more Call of Duty, take a look at our guides showcasing the rumoured Perks appearing in Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer and a closer look at what the campaign has in store.