From references to chess matches to seeming confirmation of the Cold War era, fans are starting to predict upcoming maps and story details. Activision has done an amazing job thus far hiding Call of Duty 2020 information in riddles and puzzles, with some instances being deep enough to trip up leakers from revealing too much too soon. These precautions have not stopped dedicated fans and internet theorists from coming to their own remarkable conclusions.
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To start looking into the possible futures for this Cold War era, first-person shooter fans are turning towards the already discovered “facts.” These are leaked images, promotional blunders, or secrets revealed by hardworking streamers that help shape the image of this upcoming title. By blending it all down into one box of thinking, an interesting picture forms as to what Call of Duty: Cold War could be.
Secrets Discovered
A day can barely go by without Warzone and Nuclear appearing in the same sentence. Ever since Raven Software added Bunkers into the battle royale, fans have been exploring possible nuclear theories across the entire map. References to Frank Woods, secret Russian messages, and the recent activation codes in Stadium drove fan thinking and fueled a nuclear craze in this digital community. Although the Stadium puzzle ended with fireworks, the mixture of hidden messages and code breaking still gives an inherent clue to the intentions of the development team.
The two biggest reveals that impact fan predictions are the Red Door Alpha testing and the leaked name: Cold War. There is a ton of history built up in those two words alone. Feelings of distrust, mystery, and Soviet-based espionage flood through the game’s community as players look closer to what Black Ops and the Cold War could have in common. Some fans tried to stretch details, hinting that Mason or Frank Woods will commit the assassination of JFK, while others are looking towards a more literal espionage approach to Black Ops mission files.
The biggest hint in fan theory development was the crates that Activision sent to several streamers. Although the total number of crates is unknown, enough of the streaming community bought into the process to bring most of the information to light. Old-school projectors with several strange slides lead fans to a cryptic website after Warzone streamer Noah solved one of the hardest Call of Duty puzzles to date. As fans are left staring at a cycling page, they spend their time speculating at what could be the point of all these hidden clues and secretive tactics.
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Call of Duty 2020 Cold War Predictions
The most probable storyline for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War to follow would be U.S. Operatives on stealth-based secret operations. This would take a subversive approach where players work to undermine hidden Russian operations or defend U.S. operations from Russian agents. This would provide space for large scale gunfights, as the series is known for, while still holding to a Cold War theme.
A popular fan theory follows the word Zeus and points towards the JFK assignation being the controversial spark point of the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War campaign. Whether or not it asks players to perform the act, to have any of the popular franchise characters commit an act of treason that severe would make this upcoming release extremely controversial. It would be plausible to see a campaign built around the assassination of the U.S. president, as keeping the game domestic in operations would double down on the Black Ops aspect of the game. The goal would be to have the players, as members of the U.S. military or some other organization, operating in operations that can not be disclosed to the public.
The Cold War brew a large environment of distrust and gave birth to the “spy” era. Players could work as U.S. operatives fighting a counter-spy war where they must outmaneuver enemy intelligence operatives. This is similar to the above theory except, players would be on the defensive helping to try and maintain the careful balance between Russia and the U.S. and avoiding mutual destruction. Playing heavy on the spy era, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s release risks losing part of its large scale war theme, but it could easily gain extra prestige as CIA, FBI, and many other intelligence organizations often fielded operatives on the front lines of many different conflicts.
One interesting theory that was being passed around was the center of the Cuban Missle Crises. Fans are sourcing this idea from the Zombies map FIVE which featured JFK confronting the leaders of Cuba alongside representatives from the Russian government. If players operated as boots on the ground in Cuba undermining the missile deployment or working towards securing U.S. interest the game could take an interesting turn. Historically this was a quickly resolved issue that only lasted 13 days, but in the world of Call of Duty there is no reason to not stretch it on or add extra fictional details to tell a compelling FPS story in Call of Duty Cold War.
No matter which angles Activision and Treyarch are taking the hints presented so far painting several awesome story possibilities. Whether players are front-line soldiers or operative as secret intelligence operatives there is no doubt be a heavy historical reference mixed with a dangerous and world-ending campaign. Jason Hudson, back in the first Black Ops game, was a CIA agent fielded side by side with the military. If players took a similar role, the developers could easily expand the Black Ops storyline and take players to other angles in famous Cold War scenarios.
Call of Duty 2020 is being developed by Treyarch and Raven Software.
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