The Fallout Bundle Might Be Pay to Win

By this point, Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone players are familiar with Weapon Blueprints. These variants include a new themed skin for the weapon, and usually come pre-equipped with some attachments. The weapons on offer in the Fallout Vault Dweller bundle do just that. The issue lies in the HRM-9 Blueprint, called the Atomic Disintegrator. This weapon is fairly standard, long-range SMG build players might expect to see in Warzone. However, there is one attachment that gives players a clear competitive advantage.

Vault Dwellers Get Access to Exclusive Optic

With the Vault Dwellers Bundle, players gain access to a new variant of the FSS Spectre Microtherm. This low zoom optic brings the heat-seeking target acquisition seen in thermal scopes to an attachment smaller than a standard Holographic Sight. However, the attachment usually doesn’t see much use in MW3 and Warzone. This is because the ADS picture is black and white and a little blurry. Enemies are highlighted in a brighter white than anything else, but it is still fairly subtle.

The version of this optic that comes with the Atomic Disintegrator Blueprint changes that. Colors are not muted nearly as much with this iteration attachment, and enemies stand out with a green glow. As the comparison above shows, this makes it far easier to spot targets. Players who purchase this bundle are also able to use this specific version of the attachment on any weapon where the FSS Spectre Microtherm is available. Let’s hope Sledgehammer Games gives this attachment a nerf before the Fallout bundle does too much damage to the META in MW3.

Black Ops 6 Zombies Story and Characters

Black Ops 6 Zombies will continue the Dark Aether storyline, from where it left off in Black Ops Cold War. At the end of that game, the heads of Requiem were incarcerated as Richtofen was revealed to be the director of Requiem. Black Ops 6 Zombies re-introduces us to these characters five years later in 1991.

For the first time since Black Ops 4 Zombies, Black Ops 6 has a set crew of characters (pictured above) fans will play as. This new crew includes three familiar faces from Requiem; Weaver, Dr. Grey, and Major Carver. These characters spoke to the player via radio in Black Ops: Cold War Zombies, but are now playable in Black Ops 6. This crew is rounded out by a fourth brand-new character, named Maya.

It has been confirmed that players will also be able to play as their Operators in Black Ops 6 Zombies, should they so choose. This means that characters from the Black Ops story such as Adler, Park and Woods will be playable in Zombies. There are also some Zombies characters available as Operators from the Vault Edition of Black Ops 6. The Brutus and Klaus Operators, who fans will remember as NPCs from Mob of the Dead and Mauer Der Toten respectively, will be playable as well.

Black Ops 6 Zombies Maps

Black Ops 6 Zombies will have two Round-Based maps at launch. The one we’ve seen the most of so far is called Terminus. Terminus is set in a Blacksite on a remote island in the Far East during a stormy night. This map has been described to influencers who recently attended Treyarch Studios before the reveal. A COD Zombies News account on X (formerly Twitter) made a mega-thread of all the news. In it, they reported that Terminus is the more complex of the two maps available at launch. It seems as though this map will have far more story significance as well. This map has a gloomy atmosphere, with everything covered in rain and overgrown moss.

The second map arriving at launch is called Liberty Falls. Liberty Falls has been referenced before in Intel in Modern Warfare Zombies. Liberty Falls is set at the same time as Terminus, and seemingly does not have a set crew. Players are sent in to investigate and contain an Outbreak in a small town in West Virginia. This map has a very different atmosphere compared to Terminus. It has been described as a more simple map, based off the real life town of Harper’s Ferry. The map is set during the day in a 1990’s era American town. It’s said to feature a Blockbuster-esque video store, motel, gas station, a bowling alley, church, and more.

Fans may have already gotten a look at this map, or at the very least some of its assets. The Black Ops 6 Direct featured quite a bit of Multiplayer gameplay. One of the MP Maps shown off seems to also feature Liberty Falls. There were several vehicles with logos bearing the name of the town, and the video store (pictured above) was visible as well.

Black Ops 6 Zombies Gameplay

Fans were treated to a brief snippet of Black Ops 6 Zombies gameplay at the Direct. Treyarch also released additional details to the press, which gives us some indication of how the next era of Call Of Duty Zombies will play. Many of the features fans have come to expect from the mode will return. The Call of Duty Blog announcing the new game details some of what to expect. The new Round-Based maps are described as having plenty of upgrades and power-ups to help fans survive, but reminds them the hordes can quickly become overwhelming.

Development of these new maps seems to be focused on replayability. From the sounds of it, fans will have lots to unlock and uncover. As expected, power-ups will return, along with the inclusion of some new ones. Wonder-Weapons, Perks, Traps, and many other features signature to the Zombies gameplay loop seem to be present.

While Treyarch hasn’t revealed too many specifics on Zombies features yet, we do know that Gobblegums will return in Black Ops 6. This system allows players to bring in a pack of several gumballs, which they select before each match. Players can find Gumball machines to dispense them around the map. This system was a major part of Call Of Duty Black Ops 3, but hasn’t appeared since. In that game, players had two types to choose from. The first type, Classics, were unlocked from standard XP progression. These could be used infinitely. The other type, Megas, were finite. To unlock them, players had to spend a currency to try their luck to spin for rare, single-use Gobblegums. This could be earned in-game, or purchased with COD Points.

Treyarch has also confirmed that many of the new gameplay features introduced in Call Of Duty Black Ops 6‘s Campaign and Multiplayer will be present in Zombies. Expect innovations in Weapons, Movement, and the HUD to make their way to Zombies. This includes the title’s new Omindirectional Movement. This new feature allows players to sprint and dive in any direction, for more control over movement than ever before. Fans can look forward to shooting at Hordes of Zombies while diving like Max Payne when the title releases just in time for Halloween.

Call Of Duty Black Ops 6 Releases on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass on October 25th.

Epic Games is Removing the Mystery from Item Shop Rotations

Epic Game has made a lot of money from purchases in the Fortnite item shop. Much of the time, players feel pressured to buy skins early, but up until now they could never know for certain how long an item would be available or if/when it will return. The item shop does have a countdown timer, but this simply marks time to the next shop refresh; it does not inform players when specific items will leave. The Dutch government fined Epic Games $1.2M for these practices, alleging that The government claimed this design pressures children to make purchases quickly, since young players believed the items would be leaving the shop sooner than they were.

In a major win for consumers, Epic Games is addressing this, though it is not clear at this time if the change was made due to pressure from the Dutch government. However, the timing leads me to believe Epic is trying to prevent themselves from future legal issues.

This change, confirmed in a Tweet from Shiina, will add “individual shop timers” for items. Instead of the countdown timer being for the whole shop, this new feature will give players a countdown to the time certain sections will rotate out. Now, players will be able to check item descriptions for the date that it will leave the store. There are multiple instances in Fortnite where items stay in the shop for several rotations, but players have had no way of being informed this will happen in-game. Thankfully, this new change will help players be more informed.

The new update will be added to Fortnite in Chapter 5 Season 3 on May 24th.

Dataminers Claimed Ghosts & Advanced Warfare Would Return

On Sunday afternoon, two prominent dataminers claimed to have discovered the settings and developers for COD 2026 and COD 2027. In a since deleted post on X, Visceral and VondyIsPog collaborated to bring the first rumored details on these titles. The rumors took the community by storm, as the two have leaked things correctly in the past.

The pair alleged that Call of Duty 2026 would be an Infinity Ward title, which would resurrect the Call of Duty: Ghosts brand. They also claimed that 2027 would see Sledgehammer Games would release a new Advanced Warfare title, which they’ve seemingly already teased in Modern Warfare 3.

These Rumors are False

However, Tom Henderson debunked these rumors in an article for Insider Gaming. In the article, the industry insider reported that the information about the rumored titles was incorrect. Henderson states that these kinds of details cannot be sourced through datamining, and that the codenames are false. Since then, both Visceral and VondyIsPog have retracted their statements and apologized for putting out information without properly verifying it.

However, the order Activision’s studios are at bat is correct, per Henderson’s sources. Infinity Ward is currently scheduled to make another Call of Duty in 2026, with Sledgehammer following it up in 2027.

To me, rumors of a Ghosts game as Infinity Ward’s next title didn’t make sense. This “leaked” title was claimed to be a prequel to Modern Warfare (2019). It would certainly be interesting to see a new take on the sub-brand. Fans have been clamoring for one since the “Ghost Team” mission in MW2. However, Infinity Ward still has lots of story to cover and several cliffhangers to build off of from last year’s Modern Warfare 3 . Time will tell where the Call of Duty franchise goes next.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Trailer Drops Wednesday

Ubisoft once again teased that Shadows will be the first Assassin’s Creed set in Feudal Japan, which has long been the most requested setting for the sprawling saga. Fans have already seen the potential of the setting in other excellent games like Ghost of Tsushima. A video released on X shows a giant hourglass in Japan, with text stating the reveal trailer will be released on May 15th at 9am Pacific or 12pm Eastern Time.

Fans Can Expect More at Summer Games Fest

The trailer has been clearly labeled as the “Official Cinematic World Premiere”. This description implies that no gameplay will be shown in Wednesday’s trailer. However, fans won’t have to wait long for a deeper look at Assassin’s Creed Shadows. As part of this year’s Summer Games Fest, Ubisoft is hosting its annual Ubisoft Forward Live From L.A. on June 10th. It seems almost certain that this event will feature gameplay of the new title, a supposition that is backed up by a report from industry insider Tom Henderson.

On May 7, Insider Gaming reported that gameplay would premiere at Ubisoft Forward. Henderson also reported that press will have opportunities to play Assassin’s Creed Shadows at Summer Games Fest, with the embargo on that set to lift on June 12th. Fans will only have to wait just under a month to get a good look at Assassins Creed Shadows.

As a fan spotted, Assassins Creed Shadows seems set to release on November 15 of 2024, and will reportedly be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Players Seemingly Face Off in MWZ

A teaser video was released earlier this week to promote the latest Call of Duty Endowment event. C.O.D.E. is a charity that helps Veterans find jobs after they’ve returned from their service. Call of Duty has long-featured bundles that allow players to purchase items to raise money to benefit Veterans. In Season 3 Reloaded, a new bundle for the Warrior Operator (pictured above) was released to do just that.

The teaser heavily features the new operator skin in different scenarios. Throughout the video, the character faces off against some Mil-Sim characters in Urzikstan. At first, this seems like standard gameplay one would expect to see in a Warzone teaser, but this is not the case. While MWZ takes place on Urzikstan, the main Battle Royale map in Warzone, the Zombified iteration is a bit different. Treyarch gave the map a unique skybox and lighting for MWZ, to create an atmosphere befitting the mode. The version of the map shown in the trailer is definitely the one playable in Zombies, featuring its signature purple sky.

PvP in MWZ Has Been Referenced Before

Typically, one may think this is just some developer trickery at play. After all, it would make sense to switch up the skybox or lighting for a teaser to get the right visual vibe. However, strings of code referencing PvP in CoD Zombies have already been data-mined. SemtexLeaks on Twitter shared a screenshot of code referencing PvPvE in Zombies all the way back in March 2024. They have a proven track record of showcasing content early, which usually ends up making it into Call of Duty later.

While the mode was initially believed to come out in Season 3, this seems unlikely now, since Season 3 Reloaded has come and gone. However, a PvP element in CoD Zombies would be an interesting shakeup in a later season. Modern Warfare Zombies is in dire need of major updates, and PvP would certainly be a unique take that might get players to engage with the mode again.

DJ Akademiks Slips Up About Sony’s Showcase

DJ Akademiks is one of the most popular commentators in the hip-hop community. He’s widely considered Drake’s #1 fan, so needless to say he’s had a big week, with Kendrick Lamar and Drake going back and forth with diss tracks aimed at each other. Fans expected Kendrick to respond immediately to Drake’s latest track, but Akademiks told fans to expect a delay.

In a now deleted Instagram post, Akademiks alleged that “Sources telling me that Kendrick can’t drop until the PlayStation Showcase airs next week due to a marketing deal with Sony”. It is unclear if Akademiks deleted the post because the information was inaccurate or because he didn’t want to get in trouble for having leaked details of an unannounced PlayStation Showcase.

Either way, it builds on credible rumors of a PlayStation Showcase in May 2024 from Jeff Grubb. In recent years, PlayStation has hosted its own event around — but separate from — Summer Games Fest. Last year, PlayStation held its Showcase on May 24th.

What Does This Mean for Sony and Kendrick?

If Akademiks’ claim is true, it begs two major questions. The first of which is, what could PlayStation be announcing? Sony has had a quiet 2024 so far on the gaming front, without much slated for the rest of the year. Sony even said earlier in the year they have no major franchise games releasing before the end of March 2025. However, that doesn’t mean none will be announced before then.

It is also unclear what marketing deal Kendrick Lamar might have with Sony and if it pertains to PlayStation at all. However, the console manufacturer has partnered with rappers previously. Travis Scott paired up with PlayStation to make commercials and merchandise around the PlayStation 5’s launch. However, Sony was one of several brands to cut ties with Travis Scott in the wake of the Astroworld tragedy. Regardless, expect more to be revealed in the coming weeks. This summer is looking to be a great time for gamers and hip-hop fans alike.

All New MW3 Season 3 Maps, Ranked from Worst to Best

Growhouse

I feel bad calling Growhouse the “worst” map, as I don’t think any of Season 3’s maps have been terrible. Unfortunately, in any race, someone has to come in last place. Growhouse is a remake of the Vanguard map sphere. Unlike that map’s setting, this one is set around the titular Growhouse. It consists of a main house with an underground lab, outdoor greenhouses, and a fairly standard yard with various cover spots.

The map’s concept is clever and it brought some good laughs, but it’s unfortunately outclassed. Growhouse is very small, and though it offers fast-paced matches, it has a massive spawn-trapping problem. As such, it feels lackluster alongside MW3‘s other excellent remasters of tiny maps like Shoothouse and Rust, not to mention excellent originals like Meat and Stash House.

Tanked

Tanked is a repurposed map that cuts the Zoo section from the Vondel Warzone map into its own multiplayer map. Surprisingly, it flows pretty well. It balances a realistic-looking environment with solid design elements. Not to mention, Tanked has a great atmosphere thanks to its unique use of colors and beautiful skybox.

It plays especially well in kill-based modes. In Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed, it’s fun to run around the outdoor Zoo and its various indoor exhibits searching for enemies. There’s a solid variety of ranges at which you’ll engage enemies in Tanked. The aquarium is super close quarters, but the outdoor area offers longer walkways and paths that allow rifle users to excel.

Grime

Grime is a great approach to urban combat in Modern Warfare 3. The map reminds me of Sledgehammer’s excellent London Docks map from Call of Duty: WWII. It’s set in an industrial district of London, with an appropriate amount of filth to earn the title. There’s a flat grey/brown aesthetic that honestly makes it a bit visually dull, but it helps with visibility when engaging enemies.

Speaking of engagements, this map excels at creating them. Grime has a standard 3-lane layout, but the mix of interior and exterior is what makes it a blast to play. The map mostly takes place outdoors, but much of the fighting occurs in cramped warehouses. This is especially true in objective modes like Hardpoint, which is a highlight on this map. The king-of-the-hill spots make great use of the environment, creating engaging firefights. Overall, Grime adds tension to MW3‘s urban combat. I can’t remember the last time I took cover in CoD as much as I have on this map. It’s a unique and worthy addition to the pack in Season 3.

Checkpoint

For a repurposed map, Checkpoint plays shockingly well. Checkpoint is based on a section of the Stronghold POI from Rebirth Island. It removes access to rooftops and that ever-so-dominant tower, so there’s a lot of fairness in firefights.

This is, again, a 3-lane map. That being said, the main focal point is a fairly unique, U-shaped building with extremely small rooms to fight over. Checkpoint can get chaotic, but both sides have good protection that prevents abusive spawn trapping. While it certainly lacks the balance necessary for viability for ranked play and the pros, Checkpoint is a blast to play in public matches.

6 Star

What immediately stands out to me about 6 Star is how gorgeous it is. Set around a rooftop bar and lounge above a premium Dubai resort, this map’s colors pop. There’s something so unique and refreshing about seeing the familiar action of Modern Warfare 3 play out in such an elegant setting.

Not to mention, 6 Star has incredible flow. Players fight over two long but different lanes on the outskirts, deciding whether they want to duke it out in the hotel’s open hallways or get in gunfights in and around a curved pool. The pool lane reminds me of Raid from Black Ops 2. In the middle, players fight in an open atrium broken up by a lavish ovular bar, which provides excellent cover. 6 Star’s objective placement is also superb, funneling players toward the most interesting areas for intense and varied firefights. This is why 6 Star excels in competitive. Not only is it fun to play on, but it’s also engaging to watch the matches unfold.

Emergency

Emergency is Call of Duty chaos at its finest. This map is set in and outside of a remote hospital’s wing, and yes, it’s yet another 3-lane map, but it proves why that formula is so effective. Players can fight over a fairly balanced middle lane, where much of the action takes place. It has a semi-open layout across the hallway, which creates medium-range engagements. Assault rifles are usually the go-to here. However, there are balanced power positions on either side for snipers. The outermost lane is excellent for players who prefer fighting at a distance too. This outdoor area with a Helipad allows players to grind for longshots and provides snipers a place to practice their precision in an otherwise close-quarters map.

The last lane is the most intense with a hospital hallway connecting an entrance to some rooms and a bathroom off to the side. This is where the most frenetic engagements on Emergency take place. The bathroom, shockingly, is excellent to defend in objective modes. So is the main reception desk. Between holding out in the bathroom, with only meters between enemies and I when they contest, and laying down by the desk to try and have my cover tank suppressive fire, I can’t think of a time when I’ve had more fun fighting for my life in MW3.

A popular data-miner shared strings of code which reference events for The Crow, Fallout and Gundam in Season 4. In prior seasons of MW3, events tying in with other IP have promoted available operator bundles. As such, it’s safe to assume there will be bundles coming to the store with tie-ins to each of these franchises.

The Crow tie-in would likely promote the remake of that cult classic film, which is slated for release late this summer. It is unclear how exactly The Crow will appear in MW3. I’d expect to see operator bundles themed around the titular character, for Sting and/or Bill Skarsgård’s versions of the character in the original and remake, respectively. The stan in me has my fingers crossed that FKA Twigs, a singer who plays the love interest in the 2024 film, could make an appearance in-game.

The Fallout crossover is perhaps the most interesting to speculate. With Fallout and Call of Duty now both Xbox first party, a crossover seemed plausible. With details scarce at this time, it is unclear how it would actually unfold. With the massive popularity of the Fallout TV Series on Amazon Prime, I would bet on operator bundles for new characters like Lucy and the Ghoul to come to the game. With its Warhammer crossover, MW3 added variants for the Juggernaut killstreak for players to use. I’d expect to see something similar here. Calling in a suit of Power Armor as a reward for a large kill streak would be pretty epic.

The Gundam crossover seems the most bizarre. The popular Japanese franchise focuses on massive robots, so if and how they will try to integrate characters from the franchise into the game is uncertain. However, there are already some bundles in MW3 for operators that resemble transformers. Perhaps Sledgehammer would go a similar route to these skins, but model them after popular Gundam characters. Fans shouldn’t have to wait for more concrete details long, as Season 4 of MW3 is slated to launch later this spring.

Evidence Points to COD 2024

CoD super-fans have sleuthed that the [REDACTED] Direct will in fact be a deep-dive on the next Black Ops game. The logo on Microsoft’s promo for the event depicts Cerberus, a three-headed dog from Greek mythology. The name and logo have been data-mined from within Modern Warfare 3 before. Cerberus has been a working title developer that Treyarch has been using to refer to their next game. Cerberus has also been referenced in Black Ops before, appearing the Zombies map Mob of the Dead, for example.

The teaser image still shows some corners, tops, and bottoms of certain text. Recently, a Call of Duty brand kit leaked, with new logos for the Black Ops sub-series in the franchise’s new font. Fans have matched up the new Black Ops logo with the image of the [REDACTED] direct, leading to images like the mockup by Fawzi below:

While fans had previously speculated the title of the game would be CoD: Black Ops Gulf War, it no longer seems this will be the case. The image released by Microsoft seems to only leave room for an orange numeral after the Black Ops title. Whether the title will be Black Ops 5 or Black Ops 6 is yet to be determined. While 2018’s Black Ops 4 was the last numbered installment, 2020’s Cold War was referred to internally as Black Ops 5 by developers. Fans should get the official answer soon. The reveal may be even sooner than June 9th, as data-miners have found references within the code for Modern Warfare 3 to a Call of Duty 2024 reveal event in-game during Season 3 reloaded. Time will tell…

The Joseph Heavy Automatic was already decent in Sker Ritual. It fills a unique role in the meta since it is the only LMG in the game at launch. The Joseph Heavy Automatic has a 97-round Magazine, dwarfing the next closest weapon, the MP18A1. That SMG has only 40 rounds before you need to reload.

The other major issue with the Joseph Heavy Automatic was the lack of visibility. The sight used to be highly obstructive, with a massive rectangular block in the rear sight bordering the front sight, which has now been adjusted to remove obstructions and is far easier to see through. As the patch notes detailed, the damage output was also buffed. At base, the weapon did between 45 and 30 damage. Now, with the increase, it does between 75 and 45.

With these changes, this gun is now incredible for crowd control and slow-moving bosses when compared to other weapons you can choose from in Sker Ritual. The high-capacity magazine, paired with manageable recoil, allows players to sustain their fire. It is a must-have for camping strategies and is still mobile enough to use on the run.

Sker Ritual is a horror first-person shooter available now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. You can play solo or with up to four players in online multiplayer. For more on the game, check out the best Sker Ritual controller settings or find out what the best Sker Ritual map is.

What Is Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare?

In 2011, SHG proved themselves to Activision in support of Infinity Ward’s original Modern Warfare 3. As a result, Sledgehammer Games was given the green light to lead their own Call of Duty project, which became Advanced Warfare.

Advanced Warfare was, at that point, the biggest reinvention of the franchise. This game pushed the series into the future, set in 2054. This new era added Exosuits, which gave players massive double jumps and speedy dashes. The major overhaul to movement got eyes on the franchise in a big way. With this entry, Sledgehammer reinvented a stale formula. It couldn’t have come at a better time. Many fans were displeased with the franchise’s previous entry, Call of Duty Ghosts.

With a brand-new campaign featuring cutting-edge graphics, and Kevin Spacey at the peak of his popularity, SHG told a solid story. They envisioned a dystopian world where technology was owned by massive Private Military Companies. These mega-corporations, like Spacey’s Atlas, changed the way the Western world waged its wars.

The multiplayer in Advanced Warfare is lightning-fast. It introduced a collection of fictional weapons. Several of these were instant classics and became rightfully iconic for Call of Duty fans. Chief among them are the BAL-27 Assault Rifle and the MORS Sniper (pictured below).

Call of Duty Season 3 Adds Advanced Warfare Guns

If those weapon names sound familiar, that’s because they’re the most popular new additions in Modern Warfare 3. While it’s certainly been nostalgic to use guns that haven’t been in Call of Duty in several years, there’s more to their inclusion than meets the eye. CoD‘s history tells us that these guns may point toward the studio’s future title.

In every Call of Duty game, SHG has been the project lead on some of the post-launch weapons that served as teasers for their next title. Toward the end of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s life cycle, they added iconic WWII-era guns like the Sten, M1 Garand and MP40 into supply drops. While the inclusion seemed odd at the time, it made sense when the studio revealed they’d been working on Call of Duty: WWII in 2017. In that title, several of the weapons added in DLC were part of the arsenal available at launch in Call Of Duty: Vanguard.

Perhaps most puzzlingly, Call of Duty Vanguard Season 5 (also set in World War II) included the BP50. This bullpup assault rifle is based on the F2000, which wasn’t designed until around a half-century after WWII ended. Sure enough, the weapon was added to this year’s MW3, using the same name and a nearly identical model.

With things like this, I’ve always thought one is an isolated incident, two is a coincidence, but three is a pattern. I’d be willing to bet the inclusion of the MORS and BAL-27 in MW3 was a clever way for SHG to tease a future title and save their workforce development time. If the studio’s history is anything to go by, I’d expect these weapons to appear in the developer’s next project with an almost identical appearance to their MW3 design.

Devs Want Advanced Warfare 2 to Happen

Members of the team, both former and current, have gone on record saying that they’d love to revisit the world of Advanced Warfare. In 2023, Bret Robbins, former Senior Creative Director at Sledgehammer Games, interviewed with Ben Hanson for MinnMaxx. They spoke about Advanced Warfare 2, and Robbins said, “We started down that road. We had some early prototypes. I think we might’ve even done a demo level of it.”

As we know, the game didn’t come to fruition. Executives wanted the franchise to go back to WWII, where it began in 2003. This was likely done in response to fan fatigue from three future titles back to back. While going back to World War II wasn’t the studio’s first choice, there was still some excitement for that era at the team.

Sledgehammer Games has tried to get a sequel to Advanced Warfare off the ground. In a Report for Bloomberg, Jason Schreier stated that after Call of Duty: Vanguard, there was a pitch for a project under the codename “Anvil“. Anvil was set in “the universe of the company’s futuristic 2014 game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, according to the people familiar.” Apparently, the project didn’t see much progress before Sledgehammer Games was assigned to work on a Modern Warfare title. This became 2023’s Modern Warfare 3.

It’s Time for CoD To Head Back To the Future

Clearly, Sledgehammer Games wants to make a follow-up to Advanced Warfare, and I can see why. In a way, it’s their magnum opus. The original seems to be the game they truly wanted to make, with far less influence from executives than any of their subsequent releases. There could be critical and commercial success to be had as well. Advanced Warfare garnered an 81% on Metacritic, and was the highest selling game of 2014 despite releasing in November of that year.

With an apparent passion for the game among devs, an AW comeback could be a huge success. Especially since it will be a decade since CoD had a title with 3D movement by the time Sledgehammer is at bat to lead another installment in the franchise. If there’s another attempt to get an Advanced Warfare sequel made, here’s hoping this time Activision and Xbox see the vision.