Call of Duty 2020 leaks tease Black Ops reboot and an iconic remaster

2020 could wind up being the biggest year for Call of Duty in quite some time despite the fact that Activision's plans for the major series keep leaking. Following the leak and subsequent release of Call of Duty: Warzone, even more leaks have emerged revealing that two other CoD sub-series, Black Ops and Modern Warfare, are also getting glow-up treatments soon.

On Wednesday, YouTuber The Gaming Revolution revealed new details about this year's Call of Duty game, and they claimed it's "a gritty Black Ops reboot" codenamed Project Zeus. Then, on Thursday, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered was rated in South Korea, seemingly confirming the game's existence. If both of these are true, then that would mean a full-on Black Ops reboot akin to the Modern Warfare reboot last year and a remastered version of MW2. By most accounts, these are two of the best-ranked Call of Duty games ever.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Reboot

Activision churns out a new Call of Duty game every calendar year, rotating between three major game studios. Developed by Treyarch, Raven Software, and Sledgehammer Games, the 2020 entry is reportedly a gritty soft reboot of the popular Black Ops sub-series that would be similar to 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot.

In theory, it would still probably be set during the Cold War while putting a bit more emphasis on the grisly Vietnam War. It'll likely that it'll follow the Viet Cong in addition to South Vietnam and the U.S. military forces. Characters like Alex Mason and Frank Woods will reportedly reappear, though they'll be completely new versions of their respective characters like Modern Warfare 2019's Captain Price.

The game will be running on the same engine as Modern Warfare and Warzone and will add flair its large multiplayer modes like Ground War with Operators. The Zombies mode will also be making its grand return, though it's early in development so information is scarce; that being said, it will likely feature a brand new story.

While this reimagining sounds very exciting, it has reportedly had a rocky development. A May 2019 report from Kotaku claimed that the 2020's new Call of Duty game was originally being created as a joint effort between Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered's Raven Software and Call of Duty: WWII's Sledgehammer games. The teams allegedly butted heads, so Treyarch had to come in and development was partially restarted.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered

Ever since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered was released in 2016, fans have been clamoring for a remaster of Modern Warfare 2 as well. From a narrative standpoint, the MW2 campaign is considered a franchise highpoint, so a remastered version feels necessary. While rumors have cropped up about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 remastered for years, the project has failed to surface until now. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered was rated by South Korea's Game Rating and Administration Committee in February though, basically ensuring that the remaster is real.

Not as much is known about the game, though its title backs up previous reports that this remaster will only feature the game's campaign and not Specs Ops or multiplayer modes. (That makes sense considering there's way better CoD multiplayer option available.) The listing didn't reveal any more details about the remaster, though its safe to expect visual improvement on par with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered.

The Inverse Analysis

Due to the number of reports and leaks that have surrounded both titles, both the Call of Duty: Black Ops reboot and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered are almost certainly real. We will most likely see both of them release in 2020, though it remains to be seen how Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered in particular is packaged.

Modern Warfare Remastered was initially tied to Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare before it was spun off into its own game, so it's possible the same will happen with this new Black Ops game and Modern Warfare 2 Remastered. Still, the game may be popular enough to warrant a standalone release, so hopefully, we won't have to wait too much longer to learn which Activision is going with.