After a mysterious new leak called “The Red Door” made an appearance on the Microsoft Store and PlayStation Store, dataminers were able to dig into the game’s files and discovered some interesting new details aboutCall of Duty 2020. Red Door was used as an internal Alpha for this year’s entry and revealed new details includingCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer mapslist, the name and locations of its campaign missions, and a confirmation that the Zombies mode would be making a return.
If the rumors are to be believed andCall of Duty 2020is aModern Warfare (2019)stylereboot of theBlack Opsseriesset during the Cold War era, it would be nice to see Treyarch return to the series historical roots and build its campaign around real events in history. The originalCall of Duty: Black Opsexplored a number of fascinating real-world events including the Vorkuta uprising, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, and used characters like Robert McNamara and Fidel Castro to tell a more interesting story. A return to the Cold War and real-world events could go a long way to making this year’s entry feel unique fromBlack Ops 4andModern Warfareand we’ve got a few stories that could use aCall of Dutymakeover.
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Assassination of John F. Kennedy
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 is one of the most well-known and tragic events in US history, occurring during the height of the Cold War - the same period of time as the originalCall of Duty: Black Opsand a potential starting point forCall of Duty 2020. In fact, reputable insider and knownCall of Dutyleaker TheGamingRevolution has come up with a theory based on the game’s codename that suggests it could follow analternate timeline where JFK was never assassinated.
Of course, it’s just a fan theory and doesn’t exactly play well with the idea of following historical events. Whether it follows the assassination or not, JFK is too important to the Cold War to not be featured in one way or another - evenBlack Opsfeatured Kennedy as part of the game’s campaign (and Zombies mode), tieing his death into the storyline and alluding that Mason may have been behind it.
Operation Rolling Thunder
Before theBlack Ops Cold Warrumors began, it was thought thatCall of Duty 2020was actuallygoing to be calledCall of Duty: Vietnamand would be heavily focused on the Vietnam War. One Vietnam War era event that could be featured in a mission (leaks suggest there are two missions in Vietnam) is Operation Rolling Thunder - yes, that is referring to the Rolling Thunder which was a killstreak inCall of Duty: Black Ops. Operation Rolling Thunder was a three-year “aerial bombardment campaign” against North Vietnam, an ally of the Soviet Union. The operation lasted from March 1965 to November ‘68 and is described as the most intense air and ground battle that was waged throughout the entire Cold War period.
Operation Ranch Hand
Exploring the tragic effects of war doesn’t always have to involve guns and blowing things up, and considering how realistic and gritty Infinity Ward wanted to be withCall of Duty: Modern Warfare, Treyarch could explore the fallout of Operation Trail Dust and the effects of chemical warfare. During the Vietnam War, the United States military carried out Operation Ranch Hand, only one portion of Trail Dust (its chemical warfare program), in which an estimated 20 million gallons of defoliants and herbicides was dropped on rural areas in South Vietnam. Unlike Nova Gas fromBlack Ops, the use of Agent Orange wasn’t done to poison the people of Vietnam but instead to destroy their food sources. Exposure to Agent Orange had tangible, long-term health effects on the people of Vietnam from cancer to birth defects, rashes, and psychological and neurological issues.
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Nicaraguan Revolution
According to the Red Door files,Call of Duty 2020will have eleven campaign missionsand two side missions. One of those story missions is referred to as ‘nic_revolution,’ seemingly referencing the Nicaraguan Revolution. The revolution took place from 1978 to 1990, and was formed to overthrow the Somoza family dictatorship, an era known for inequality and political corruption.Call of Duty 2020could easily explore the Contra War period which took place from 1981 to 1990, in which the USA supported various rebel groups known as Contras, which stands for ‘counter-resistance,’ in an effort to overthrow the Nicaraguan government. Like we’ve mentioned, the exact timeframe of the game is unknown, but considering the game is said to span decades, this could fit the story very well.
All of these leaks appear to indicate that development onCall of Duty 2020is progressing far better than previously thought and an announcement could be right around the corner; after all, this is by far the latest aCall of Dutygame has ever been announced if Activision does intend to maintain its annualized release schedule. Although the announcement ofCall of Duty 2020is rumored to be tied toWarzone, it’s possible the new game could appear during theXbox Series X games showcase tomorrowlike we saw withCall of Duty: Ghosts, so keep eyes peeled to the site for full details on every announcement from the event.
Call of Duty 2020is rumored to be in development for unspecified platforms.
