There are few things more certain in life than the annual release of a new mainlineCall of Dutygame. Fans of the series have received one every year since 2005, and it looks as though 2021’s entry is well and truly on its way. While nothing concrete has been announced, Sledgehammer Games will be taking the reins this year in what will be their firstCall of Dutytitle sinceCall of Duty: WW2. Fans have only received unofficial leaks thus far, but the latest leak may have just shed some light on the setting ofCall of Duty2021.
The rumors and leaks that have been circulating so far have been extreme at times, but exciting. If the rumors are to be believed, this year’sCall of Dutycould take the franchise in an entirely new direction. While many of the rumors have not been backed with an actual announcement or reveal, the latest leaked code name has added weight to a number of them. The latest reveal, which came fromCall of Dutyleaker Tom Henderson, states that the upcomingCall of Dutygame has been codenamed ‘Slipstream’. While this isn’t the first code name forCall of Duty2021, it does appear to back up some of the game’s other leaks.
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What Will Call of Duty 2021 Be?
A number of rumors and leaks have come out concerningCall of Duty2021, and it appears that some of them may be true if the latest code name is to be believed. These rumors are likely to pleaseModern Warfarefans, as one of the major rumors has been thatCall of Duty2021 will be quite similar toModern Warfare. This is because it will supposedly be gritty and down to earth in a similar fashion to thecontroversialModern Warfarecampaign. It will also continue with the trend of recentCall of Dutygames which have reverted to a boots on the ground formula. While it’s impossible to please allCall of Dutyfans,Modern Warfare’srealistic gameplay was well received by most and would likely be welcomed back with open arms.
Other rumors surrounding the game center around its setting, and they’re a bit out there. One of the more tame rumors is thatCall of Duty2021 will have a World War 2 setting, which Sledgehammer Games has some experience with. But the more speculative rumors suggest that this will be an alternative timeline World War 2, in which World War 2 carried into the 1950s. This would be an all-new direction for the series, as historicalCall of Dutygames have traditionally stuck pretty closely to the facts. Judging from the leaks, it seems likely thatCall of Duty2021’s settingwill at the very least be World War 2-based, but the codename could back the alternative timeline theory.
Will Call of Duty 2021 Be Set In World War 2?
Call of Duty2021’s Slipstreamleak appears to have exposed its ties to the World War 2 era for a couple of reasons. The first of which is that the image of the logo that was leaked looks very reminiscent of something that could have been found in World War 2. The logo includes the title ‘Slipstream’ brandished across a black background, but what tips fans off to the World War 2 setting is the ribbons tailing each end of the logo. The color scheme of these ribbons looks as though it’s stylized to resemble the ribbons from which World War 2 medals were suspended. This isn’t all that the leaks potentially expose, however, as more information can be gleaned from the image when analyzing the title itself.
The code name of Slipstream could suggest that the game will involve some element of airborne combat. This is fairly self-explanatory, if Slipstream is the genuine code name ofCall of Duty2021, it could be making reference to the slipstream of an airplane. This wouldn’t be the firstCall of Dutygameto have airborne combat, but it would be the first to make it a significant enough feature for the title to reflect its inclusion. When closely analyzing the logo, it appears as though an artistic choice could back this theory up. The Slipstream text isn’t solid in color, and it actually appears to be acting as a window to a clue about the setting. While it’s fairly difficult to see clearly what lies behind the text, it looks as though it could be a sky, which supports the airborne theory.
Both of these leaks are fairly significant and offer a lot forCall of Dutyfans to be excited about. Airborne combat is often more closely associated withBattlefieldvsCall of Duty, but this could be something entirely new for the franchise. However, while this element of the leak is potentially huge for the future of the franchise, another fan theory surrounding the title would blow this out of the water.
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Will Call of Duty 2021 Involve Time Travel?
The name Slipstream could actually be referring to a 2008 BBC radio drama about World War 2.Slipstreamis the fictional story of a British air raid in Germany during World War 2, but there’s a twist. In this story, the German army has some sort of alien technology capable of reaching otherworldly speeds, with disastrous effects. This technology allowed the German army to shoot down over 150 allied aircraft, giving Germany a massive advantage in the war effort. While it may not be immediately apparent howSlipstreamlinks to thestory ofCall of Duty2021, the extraterrestrial aspect is perhaps slightly on the nose given some of the fan theories.
The most excitingCall of Duty2021 rumors concern a potential alternative timeline. The main source of these rumors appears to be from aBlack OpsCold Warmission in which the player is reliving a past memory. In the memory, the player is asked to walk through a red door, but they can refuse by simply walking around the building. This doesn’t allow the player to skip the mission, however, as a trippy sequence is triggered by the player’s refusal. This sequence ends with numerous red doors blocking the player’s path until eventually there’s no place to run. These red doors have since appeared inWarzone, suggesting they could become an ongoing feature in the series.
Red doors could open a metaphorical door to the rumored alternative timeline of World War 2. While not a one-to-one comparison, the red doors are something outside the realms of possibility and could suggest more slightly supernatural storylines to come. Certainly, when considering theCall of Duty2021 alt-historyrumors, it seems as though the code name choice of Slipstream could be hinting at something. While little is known about the game now, fans will soon receive a clearer picture of just whatCall of Duty2021 offers as the game approaches its release.
Call of Dutyis in development for unspecified platforms.
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