Call of Duty 2024 Is a Gulf War-Era Black Ops Game (Report)

With Modern Warfare III copping flak for not living up to fan expectations, attention turns to the next Call of Duty game, with a new report claiming that the 2024 entry will be a return to the Black Ops subseries, this time set in the Gulf War of the 1990s.

According to Windows Central, Treyarch will helm the next entry, taking point for the first time since 2020’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. As you might expect, the game will continue the subseries’ usual form, sending players on a clandestine mission against the backdrop of the Gulf War, which saw a coalition of nations engage in a campaign against Iraq in retaliation for the latter’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

The report claims the game will offer a “nuanced narrative of the Gulf War, with a critical focus on different participants within the conflict.” Alongside that will be a return to weaponry and military tools suited to the era.

Meanwhile, the multiplayer segment, like Modern Warfare III, will be something of a throwback. Windows Central cites an earlier report from Insider Gaming that classic maps from the earlier Black Ops games, including WMD and Grind, will be part of the package. However, the new report stops short of confirming that detail. Likewise, while the perennially popular Zombies mode is set to return, there’s no word on what that will look like.

It is further reported that Activision is considering a fairly novel early access period for the game, with the possibility of “weeks for access to other modes” beyond the base game.

In contrast to Modern Warfare III, which had one of the shortest development timelines in Call of Duty history, the 2024 entry will have one of the longest. By the time its expected launch window of Q4 2024 arrives, it will have been in the works for four years, though Treyarch has contributed to other Call of Duty games in the interim.

We’re unlikely to hear any concrete details about the game until late next year, as per Activision’s usual schedule, but this is still a tantalizing glimpse at what could be in store next for franchise fans.

UPDATE: Like zombies? Love killing them even more? MW3 Zombies is where its at. Be sure to check out our MW3 Zombies Camo Challenges article for a gory good time blasting zombies across MW3’s best maps.