Report: Call Of Duty Black Ops IV Coming In 2018, Says Analyst

The cycle of Call of Duty games has been running pretty well over the years, with Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Treyarch handling a game each time around, then repeating the cycle again. We've gotten Infinite Warfare from Infinity, and next month, Sledgehammer Games will take us back to old-school combat with Call of Duty: WWII.

And that means Treyarch is up next, with all sorts of speculation regarding what the team could be working on. A return to World At War? A new franchise? According to one analyst, the team is apparently hard at work on a new entry in the Black Ops franchise.

Analyst firm Cowen & Company recently noted Activision Blizzard's performance for the 2018 gaming year, noting that the company has a lot of confidence in the Overwatch League, which starts later this year – perhaps too much.

But then it noted the success of Activision's Call of Duty series, and said that WWII will outperform Infinite Warfare, bringing fans back in droves. And that's when it added the prediction that Treyarch will keep to fans' happiness by producing Call of Duty: Black Ops IV for a 2018 release, continuing to push the franchise forward.

It wouldn't be a total shock for Black Ops to come back. Since its initial introduction, it's been a big hit for Activision and Treyarch alike, most notably with the 2012 release Call of Duty: Black Ops II, which has become one of the biggest sellers in the series. Black Ops III didn't do too shabby either when it dropped in 2015, despite the fact that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were limited to multiplayer only (with a digital download of the original Black Ops included).

This would mark the first time that the Call of Duty series tried a fourth iteration from a series since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare back in 2007 – but considering how well that one sold, fans would probably welcome a new Black Ops with open arms. But the real question is, would it go back to space? Would it continue on the themes of Black Ops III? Or would it bring Alex Mason's storyline back into the fold?

Activision nor Treyarch have confirmed anything at this point, and likely won't until a few months following WWII's release. But, yeah, we'd be down with a new Black Ops.

Call of Duty: WWII will release on November 3rd for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.