Call of Duty: Warzone app Easter egg teases Fortnite-style in-game event
Activision is effectively using Call of Duty: Warzone to tease the next COD game.
Activision has been teasing an impending update for Call of Duty: Warzone. While it references May 21, whatever the tease is for hasn't happened yet as of this writing. This is the latest in a series of teases from Activision, as it seems to be planning on executing a Fortnite-style event for players within the game, all focusing on announcing the next Call of Duty title, rumored to be called Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
The latest teaser for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War from Activision came to players via the Call of Duty companion app on May 20. "On May 19 at 2337 ZULU, Coalition SIGINT intercepted flash traffic from AQ region command outside Verdansk," the foreboding message reads. "Message calls for a priority IP call with an unknown. Suspected recipient is TARGET DENVER."
"Timing of meeting unknown - suspected for 21 MAY. Location to be confirmed. Surveillance activity has been authorized. MAINTAIN VIGILANCE ON COMMS FOR LOCATION OF ENEMY SURVEILLANCE." This message clearly teases May 21 as the "suspected" date for a meeting with "Target Denver," but Activision has not followed that up with anything at the time of this writing.
This is the cryptic message players with the Call of Duty companion app received.
The teases began on May 19 when an update opened bunkers across the map of Verdansk for the first time. (If you're looking for these bunkers to get the bonuses they contain, check out Inverse's detailed guide on the subject.)
This is all most likely leading up to a reveal of the next Call of Duty game. On March 20, Eurogamer and Video Games Chronicle reported that the next title in the series would be named Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and will be initially teased through Call of Duty: Warzone. The bunkers opening and today's teases are clearly the first steps towards that.
Activision's 2020 Call of Duty game is reportedly set during the Vietnam War and will be a gritty reboot for the Black Ops subseries in a similar style to 2019's Modern Warfare. Nuclear bunkers certainly fit the Cold War theme, as would the type of espionage seen in the latest message set out to players.
If all these reports are true, we will probably be learning more about the next Call of Duty game very soon thanks to these teases in Call of Duty: Warzone.
The Inverse Analysis -- Because Activision plans to support Call of Duty: Warzone for years going forward, it's a smart move to begin teasing new games in the battle royale title. Fortnite has shown just how powerful the live service video game model can be with rolling updates and in-game events. Epic Games has featured teasers for franchises like Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker and made headlines when it reset its world for Fortnite: Chapter 2.
Epic Games has been a trailblazer using this formula in Fortnite, and Activision would be wise to copy it as a way to tease new Call of Duty games. It's also our first indication that Call of Duty: Warzone will evolve over time and develop new ties to each subsequent Call of Duty game. The real question is what this in-game event will look like?
Call of Duty: Warzone is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
