This Year's Call Of Duty Reportedly Called "WW2"

This year's Call of Duty game may be set in the Second World War, according to a new report.

The rumor first surfaced earlier in March, when YouTube channel The Family Video Gamers revealed supposed leaked marketing material that showed some World War II-themed box art. GameSpot has also heard the game will be set around that period.

Eurogamer has also corroborated the story, adding that "sources have confirmed" 2017's Call of Duty will indeed be titled WWII.

In a recent investors' call, Activision COO Thomas Tippl said the first-person shooter series would return this year with an entry that "will take Call of Duty back to its roots." The original Call of Duty, along with every entry in the franchise up until Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, was set in World War II.

"In 2017, Activision will take Call of Duty back to its roots and traditional combat will once again take center stage," Tippl said. "This is what our dedicated community of Call of Duty players and Sledgehammer Games, which has been developing this year's title, are the most excited about." Sledgehammer is the studio behind 2014's Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

The decision to return to the Second World War may have been influenced by lower-than-expected sales for last year's future-set Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. We already knew sales were down significantly compared with the previous year's Black Ops III, though since Infinite Warfare was a new sub-brand--and not an established, recognisable name like Black Ops--it is a difficult comparison.

"[I]t's clear that, for a portion of our audience, the space setting just didn't resonate," Tippl explained. "We have a passionate, experienced studio deeply committed to this direction, and despite the risks we saw, we believe it is important to consider the passions of our game teams in deciding what content to create.

Despite some fan criticism, we enjoyed the latest Call of Duty here at GameSpot. Critic Miguel Concepcion said it offers the franchise's "best story in years," with some moments "at least as memorable and moving as any deeds from … the series' heyday." Read more in our full Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare review.