You probably weren't expecting this, but Activision plans to release a new Call of Duty game this year. Shocking, I know. If a recently registered domain is to be believed, the title in question may be Black Ops 2.

The Black Ops 2 domain was privately owned in 2010, but has just been purchased by MarkMonitor, a brand protection company employed by Activision. Activision also hold's the domains for Black Ops 3 through to Black Ops 6.

Some suggest that this could mean the next Call of Duty game will be Black Ops 2, but there have also been rumors lately that 2012's Call of Duty will be subtitled Iron Wolf. Furthermore, it's important to remember the issue regarding the Modern Warfare 3 domain from earlier this year. In that case, the domain was held by someone who was not an employee of Activision, and the site redirected players to Battlefield 3's website.

One of Activision's main community managers, Dan Amrich, has said that securing the domain does not necessarily mean we will see a Black Ops 2, just as we did not see a World at War 2 in 2010.

"A reminder: Registering a domain does not a game announcement make. It's just smart, after what happened last year.

Was there a World at War 2? LOL come on.

The way it works is simple: If you don't control your brand, you give other people the opportunity to do it instead.

I still don't expect there to be a World at War 2 in November, so yeah, quote me on that."

I have to agree with Dan that this seems like Activision protecting its brand more than anything else. Truthfully, as much as it might make sense commercially, I don't think it'd be best to call the next game Black Ops 2. The story in Black Ops was very self contained, and I don't expect Treyarch has plans to continue it, seeing how Alex Mason's story ended all wrapped in a nice bow. Unless the story is a direct continuation akin to the Modern Warfare titles, calling the next game Black Ops 2 would be like calling Black Ops World at War 2, which just wouldn't make such sense.

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Source: CVG, Twitter