Call of Duty 2025: Early reports tease Black Ops 2 sequel, future setting, more
DexertoAlthough Call of Duty 2025 is clearly a ways off, early details have nonetheless begun to slip through the cracks well ahead of schedule. From initial reports on the game’s setting, to the earliest multiplayer details, here’s everything we know thus far about CoD 2025.
Like clockwork Activision drops a new Call of Duty game each and every year. The annualized FPS series has become a cultural juggernaut as a result, with each new installment selling millions of units without fail.
And although Black Ops 6 is only just coming into the spotlight, as always, avid fans are eager to know what comes next. Well ahead of schedule, the earliest details on CoD 2025 have begun to emerge online.
So well in advance of any official reveal, here’s what we know about CoD 2025 from insider reports.
ActivisionCall of Duty 2025: Release window
As it’s still extremely early days yet, there’s currently no exact release date locked in for Call of Duty’s 2025 release.
However, the series has followed the same pattern for quite some time now, so we can all but guarantee that the 2025 installment will hit store shelves at some stage across October or November that year.
15 CoD titles have been released in November of their given year, while the other six games landed in October. There have been no outliers to this rule, making it the safest bet possible for 2025’s launch.
Platform details
For the time being, no specific details have been nailed down as to CoD 2025’s targeted platforms. Though we can certainly make some predictions based on recent releases.
Despite Microsoft’s historic acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the company has pledged to continue releasing new CoD games across a wide range of platforms, rather than make them exclusive to Xbox.
Not only that, but Microsoft has even signed a decade-long deal with Nintendo, a move that’s set to see CoD games appear on their hardware for the first time in just as long.
As a result, we fully expect to see CoD 2025 appear on Xbox Series S | X, PC, PlayStation 5, and most likely on Nintendo hardware as well. Whether devs will continue support for last-gen hardware through until 2025, however, remains to be seen.
2024’s Black Ops 6 still maintains support for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles, so it’s entirely possible next year’s entry does the same. Given the enormous install base, it makes sense to reach as many players as they can.
Do we know which Activision studio is developing CoD 2025?
There’s currently no telling which CoD studio is leading the charge for the 2025 installment, though we do have some early intel to run with.
As initial reports tied Treyarch’s name to CoD 2024, they certainly have to be out of the running. And according to Insider Gaming, Infinity Ward is already “well into development” on the next Modern Warfare title. Thus, that leaves just Sledgehammer Games as a core studio to steer the ship on CoD 2025.
However, it’s worth noting almost all dev teams under the Activision umbrella serve to support the CoD behemoth in some way. As a result, it’s likely a wide range of teams are all chipping in, including Beenox, High Moon Studios, and plenty more.
ActivisionCall of Duty 2025: Reported near-future setting as Black Ops 2 sequel
Stemming from Insider Gaming’s 2023 report, they revealed what were believed to be the very first details on CoD’s 2025 iteration. Headlining the news was the return to a futuristic setting, at least somewhat futuristic.
“Call of Duty 2025 is slated to be set in the very slight future, around 2030,” the report claimed. Therefore, while not taking place in present day, it’s not quite a leap forward like Advanced of Infinite Warfare with jetpacks and highly advanced weaponry.
Newer reports have claimed the game will be set just 10 years in the future by the time of its release, meaning players will step foot into a 2035 battlefield.
Should these reports hold true, it’ll mark the first time the CoD franchise has looked ahead since 2018’s Black Ops 4.
Allegedly set to be a direct sequel to Black Ops 2’s storyline, the game could mark the return of “fan-favorite protagonists,” the report added. New leaks have suggested David Mason, the main character from BO2, is returning as the lead in CoD 2025.
Reported gameplay details
CoD 2025 reportedly set to include remastered Black Ops 2 maps
As a follow-up to Black Ops 2, CoD 2025 is reportedly set to feature a number of iconic multiplayer maps from the original release. While we’ve seen the likes of Raid and Express return in various ways over the years, this could mark the first time several classics make their way back to the spotlight.
Though unlike 2023’s Modern Warfare 3, a game that launched exclusively with remade maps, CoD 2025 could include a mix. “The current plan is to launch with new maps and remastered maps in conjunction,” Insider Gaming reported.
ActivisionThis aligns with earlier claims from CoD insider BobNetwork who also claimed CoD 2025 will function much like MW3 2023, though just with Black Ops 2 maps being remastered.
Pick 10 Create-A-Class system
While it’s still extremely early and plans can definitely change during development, one early detail claimed CoD’s popular Pick 10 system could be making a comeback.
Rather than selecting all sorts of attachments, perks, equipment, and the like, the Pick 10 system limited you to just that, 10 points. Players would have to spend these 10 points picking pieces of equipment, building out weapons with multiple attachments, selecting perks, or balancing the lot. It added a great degree of strategy to the mix, allowing for more niche builds to thrive.
If the earliest rumblings hold true, this familiar system could be back in play for CoD 2025.
Round-based Zombies reportedly back
Zombies will also be included in CoD 2025, should the Insider Gaming report hold true. While Treyarch is leading the charge on a true round-based comeback set for Black Ops 6, the following year is allegedly set to follow suit with more round-based action.
While recent years have veered from the path, with the likes of Vanguard and Modern Warfare 3 opting for non-traditional Zombies experiences instead, it appears CoD fans might be in store for multiple years of classic Zombies fun once again.
ActivisionOther insiders point to Zombies having one of the biggest maps in history with CoD 2025, including the return of a proper transport system like we saw back in TranZit.
There’s also word of a separate eight-player mode, doubling the lobby size for the traditional Zombies experience.
Advanced Omnimovement
With Black Ops 6, we’ve seen the debut of Omnimovement, a new system designed to allow for more liberating movement tricks. Sprinting, diving, and sliding in all directions is possible, but apparently that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
With CoD 2025, reports had indicated a step beyond with an evolved Omnimovement system allowing for a “little” wall jump. While it may not be anything close to Advanced or Infinite Warfare, it could nonetheless open the door for a huge skill ceiling once again.
CoD 2025 may adopt an open-world campaign
According to Insider Gaming, CoD 2025 may see a huge shift in its campaign approach by going open world. This comes hot off the heels of Insider Gaming reporting that Black Ops Gulf War will do the same.
If true, CoD 2025 will see players embarking on journeys through various biomes/locations, although the full scope of how open world it’ll be has yet to be determined. It’s reported the switch to an open-world structure is to “streamline development.”
For now, that’s the rundown of everything we know currently about CoD 2025. Though as always, it’s worth taking this intel with a heaping serve of salt until confirmed by developers.
Game development is always tumultuous with plans changing along the way, so this information may become outdated before long. Rest assured, we’ll keep you updated here with all the latest developments on the road to CoD 2025’s release.