Once a series firmly rooted in depicting genuine historical conflicts, the Call of Duty franchise has mostly explored modern times and the near-future since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare helped revolutionize the franchise years ago. Despite rumors that the series was finally returning to World War II, the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will also be sticking to a near-future setting, taking place in the year 2065.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and last year's Advanced Warfare have both opted to take place in the future, allowing for a variety of technology to be used in the game that seem like things pulled straight from the pages of a science-fiction novel. Even so, don't expect Call of Duty to go full sci-fi, as it's unlikely any game in the series will be set entirely in space.

As explained by Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 multiplayer director Dan Bunting, Activision is not completely against the idea of having a Call of Duty set entirely in space, but it's extremely unlikely that it will ever actually happen. "I don't think we're ever going to reach a point where we just completely ignore finding authenticity," Bunting said in an interview with GamesRadar.

Bunting continued, "There’s an element of Call Of Duty as a brand that’s very gritty, it needs to feel believable. Even if it’s not real it needs to feel like it could be."

Even though fans are unlikely to see Call of Duty: Space Warfare happen any time soon, the series has actually ventured into space on a couple of occasions in the past. In fact, the opening mission of Call of Duty: Ghosts is set on a space station, and a Zombies map for the original Call of Duty: Black Ops is set on the moon.

What's interesting is that Bunting claims that the reason why an in-space Call of Duty isn't on the table is due to a desire to have the games feel grounded and realistic. This is in stark contrast to features like the popular Zombies mode, which is definitely not based in reality, and it doesn't use any existing military technology or technology in development for its inspiration.

Even the game that Bunting is working on, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, features a Zombies mode. Furthermore, the multiplayer experience in Black Ops 3 is one of the least realistic multiplayer experiences that the franchise has featured, as it includes a time-traveling robot, among other oddities.

Do you want to see Call of Duty tackle a space setting? What settings would you like the series to explore in the next entries?

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will be available November 6th for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Source: GamesRadar