Call Of Duty's Next Game Will Be Black Ops 4 - Report

As always, Activision will release a new entry in the Call of Duty series this year. And, although details are scant on exactly what to expect, a new report states that it will be the latest entry in the Black Ops sub-series, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. [Update: Activision has now confirmed that Treyarch will develop 2018's Call of Duty. Subsequently, it announced the new game is Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.]

Following a recent tweet from games writer Marcus Sellars saying as much, Eurogamer reports that multiple sources have confirmed Black Ops 4 is indeed this year's Call of Duty title. The game is being developed by Treyarch, which has been responsible for previous Black Ops titles. It will also reportedly have fewer sci-fi elements following the reception to 2016's futuristic Infinite Warfare.

That we're seeing another Black Ops game is little surprise. The Black Ops series has proven to be the most popular of the various recurring Call of Duty brands and has represented the bulk of developer Treyarch's output over the past eight years.

The timing also makes sense; Black Ops III was released in 2015, so the inevitable fall 2018 release would come after three years. Activision shifted to a three-year development cycle for Call of Duty games, rotating between releases from Treyarch, Sledgehammer, and Infinity Ward.

New Call of Duty games traditionally aren't announced until well into spring, so it could easily be two or more months before we hear anything official from Activision. The company reports its earnings for the final quarter of 2017 later this week; we'll report back with anything it has to share then.