Could this be our first look at Call of Duty 2020? Black Ops Cold War 'footage' leaked

(Image credit: Activision)

The first gameplay footage of Call of Duty 2020, rumored to be called Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, may have just been revealed. 

In typical Call of Duty fashion, the player can be seen sprinting, vaulting, aiming down sights and inevitably camping (just kidding), as they explore what could be Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s first exclusive map. The footage below could also be nothing more than an elaborate hoax, but it does look rather convincing.

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It should be noted that the off screen footage has reportedly been taken from 45 minutes of pre-alpha code, and focuses on a new map called Tank. As with any pre-alpha footage, the game will look dramatically different to what we’re seeing here when it releases, so bear that in mind. For example, it appears that textures and other graphical elements are missing entirely, and the UI and HUD elements aren’t in place.

Duty calls

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and unrest across the world, Activision would normally have announced a new Call of Duty by now, as the annualized franchise gears up for its usual October release. 

However, with the world in a tumultuous place, Activision has delayed Season 4 and Season 7 for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Mobile respectively, so it’s unclear when Call of Duty 2020 will be officially unveiled. 

It’s a safe bet that Call of Duty 2020 will release on Xbox One, PS4 and PC, and might support PS5 and Xbox Series X as a cross-gen title, just like Call of Duty: Ghosts did when it was released. 

We also know that Activision plans to support Call of Duty: Warzone for the foreseeable future, so it’s unlikely that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will feature its own dedicated battle royale mode this time around. 

Adam Vjestica

Adam was formerly TRG's Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.