Infinity Ward’s decision to moveย theย Call of Dutyย franchise into aย distant, space-exploring future was controversial. The reveal trailer forย Infinite Warfareย became the series’ mostย unpopular, with over three million dislikes on the game’sย official YouTube channel. The game’s sales suffered from this negative reception, fallingย in comparison to its predecessor. Analysts reported thatย physical copy sales ofย Infinite Warfareย dropped up to 50 per centย during November, compared with sales ofย Black Ops 3.
A set of teaser reveals indicateย that the series’ next developerย might be planning to bringย Call of Dutyย backย into modern times. Sledgehammer Games released a New Year’s tweet, stating “It’s officially 2017! Some call it the zodiac year of the Hammer.” The message appeared aboveย a video of an antique clock counting up to the year 2017. While this might seem like a simple holiday greeting from the developer, a similar post by Infinity Ward noddedย to the space-age setting ofย Infinite Warfare.
A second tweet, posted by Sledgehammer Games co-founder Michael Condrey, created more speculation for fans. Condrey’s message included an image of a handgun that resembles an M1911 pistol. This weapon was commonly used in several military conflicts of the 20th century, including both World Wars, the Vietnam War, and the Korean War. The combination of these messages points to a more historic setting forย Call of Dutyย 2017.
A change in pace like this wouldn’t be unprecedented in a first person shooter. Last year’sย Battlefield 1ย surprised many when it dug into the trenches of World War 1.ย Whileย Call of Dutyย could be aiming to experiment with that setting, some are predicting a more familiar premise. Predictions from game industry analyst Michael Patcher suggest that this title could be theย Modern Warfareย sequel that manyย have been waiting for. Of course, nothing will be definite until an official reveal is made.
