While the main focus of theCall of Dutyfranchise is currently being placed on the inboundBlack Ops 6, rumors and reports have already begun to paint a rough picture of what next year’s entry to the franchise might look like. 2025 is set to be a big year for the FPS genre, withBattlefieldaiming to release a new entry alongside the annual addition of a newCoDtitle.
These rumors suggest that 2025’sCall of Dutytitle will be a direct narrative sequel toBlack Ops 2, set five years after the fan-favorite 2012 game. If these rumors are true, thenCall of Dutywill be releasing two consecutiveBlack Opstitles, similarly to howModern Warfare 2andModern Warfare 3recently released in 2022 and 2023. This kind of two-year focus on the same sub-franchise is still quite unusual forCall of Duty, withMW3drawing a lot of criticism due to how similar it was to its direct predecessor, but aBlack Ops 2sequel would have a lot of wiggle room in differentiating itself from the themes of the upcomingBlack Ops 6.
Call of Duty 2025’s Rumored Setting Would Avoid the Burnout of Modern Warfare 3
The rumors around 2025’sCall of Dutyentry may compound a new era for the franchise, with it potentially becoming more common for single sub-franchises to receive consecutive years of attention. 2023’sModern Warfare 3may have started this trend, but it was done so in a way that felt rushed, with some players likening the game to a fully-priced DLC forMW2as opposed to its own standalone experience.
This was not helped bythe infamously short campaign forModern Warfare 3, or the carry-over system of its multiplayer that bolstered itself with a huge amount of pre-existingModern Warfare 2content. The similarity of the setting, gameplay, maps, and themes ofMW3created a huge amount of burnout for many fans, with the launch map pool for the title even being entirely made out of maps from the originalMW2.
Despite the constant release of annual content forCall of Duty, the franchise usually at least explores different settings between releases, something whichMW3could not afford to do as a direct sequel with such a short development time, but the rumors around 2025’sCoDpaint a different picture. Supposedly as adirect sequel toBlack Ops 2set in 2030, next year’sCall of Dutywould feel entirely different to the upcomingBlack Ops 6, despite both projects belonging to the same franchise and being narratively linked.
A Black Ops 2 Sequel Would Open the Door to a Major Gameplay Shift
Black Ops 6is set to largely take place during the 1990s, shedding light on the blurry narrative between the past and future story segments of the likes ofBlack Ops 2. This will allow fans to get a closer look at the lives of iconicBlack Opscharacters like Frank Woodsand even Russell Adler, while still maintaining the gritty dated feel that the franchise is largely known for. Of course, as a rumored sequel to the near-future setting ofBlack Ops 2, 2025’sCoDwill hopefully go back to the story of David Mason following the resurgence of Raul Menendez.
Going even further into the near-future, aBlack Ops 2sequel could then lean even more into the zany game mechanics and themes that made the game so unique and memorable, providing wildly different gameplay to the grounded1990s themes ofBlack Ops 6. Not only will this rumored setting for the nextCoDfeel like a logical carry-on from the upcoming narrative ofBlack Ops 6, but it will be able to feel completely fresh and removed from its predecessor, hopefully avoiding a lot of the fallout thatMW3recently faced over its obvious similarities toModern Warfare 2.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
