A new Call of Duty 2021 report has surfaced online, and it teases that this year’s COD may be a “disaster in the making.” The report comes the way of Call of Duty insider, Tom Henderson, one of the best sources when it comes to Warzone, Modern Warfare, and Black Ops Cold War rumors and leaks. According to Henderson, this years game — Call of Duty: WW2 Vanguard — has been in development, at Sledgehammer Games, since August 2019, which means by the time it releases, it will only have been in development for roughly two years, and much of these two years have been weighed down by the pandemic and working from home.
Videos by ComicBook.com
That said, according to Henderson, the issues don’t end with this new game. Rather, they will impact Warzone as well. To this end, Henderson confirms that we aren’t getting a new World War 2-themed map this year, but rather the map will release around April 2022. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is exactly what has happened with Black Ops Cold War, which was supposed to release alongside a new Warzone map with an 80s theme at launch, according to Henderson.
Amplifying this disappointment, Henderson relays word the map won’t be a proper new Warzone map, but something akin to Rebirth Island. Further, this map will apparently not be developed by Sledgehammer Games or Raven Software.
Of course, if Call of Duty: WW2 Vanguard is being rushed to market and if its Warzone integration will be slow and delayed, it begs the question: is COD in trouble? Of course not, but Henderson claims Activision are well aware that this year’s installment won’t sell like Modern Warfare and Black Ops Cold War, which is why it’s reportedly contemplating “taking a different approach to the integration this year, to further incentivize in-game purchases and more importantly full game purchases.”
At this point, the report — which can be found here — goes more into how Warzone and Vanguard will be integrated before noting that 2021 may be a rough year for the brand.
As always, take all of this with a grain of salt. While Henderson is quite reliable, nothing here is official, and as the leaker himself notes, everything here is subject to change. That said, feel free to let us know what you think or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there. Are you worried about this year’s COD?
