Call of Duty 2021 has been officially announced by publisher Activision and developer Sledgehammer Games, but little else is known about the title beyond that. There have been a variety of rumors and leaks that say the game will be a sequel to Call of Duty: WW2 that could possibly see the game take players to an alternate history universe where Germany won the war. It has also been confirmed that Call of Duty: 2021 will release sometime this holiday season which will reignite the series' rivalry with the Battlefield series that will also be receiving a new entry around the same time.
That new entry is the likes of Battlefield 2042, which was just recently revealed and shown off during this year's E3 conference. The game was also the subject of a litany of rumors and leaks leading up to its reveal, similar to how Call of Duty 2021 has been. However, many of those leaks and rumors ended up being false. Regardless, Battlefield 2042 is going big, and Call of Duty 2021 may also have to go if it wants to compete with Battlefield this coming fall.
How Battlefield 2042 Went Big
The two trailers released for Battlefield 2042 were both explosive and energetic and features a lot of action and references to the Battlefield community like driving a four-wheeler into a helicopter and jumping out of a jet during a dog fight. One of the biggest highlights of the game's announcement, however, is its increase in scale. Battlefield 2042 has been confirmed to feature 128-player lobbies on next-gen consoles and PC. This is double the series' regular 64-player lobbies and helps to make it feel like a truly next-gen title. The game will also feature all-new gadgets and specialists to shake up the gameplay and really make the game stand out from its predecessors.
The Battlefield 2042 trailers also highlight an eye-catching new bombastic feature for the game: dynamic weather disasters. The trailers both highlight dust storms as well as towering tornadoes that make Battlefield 2042's new destruction mechanics feel like a massive leap in scope while adding a lot of interesting gameplay potential as well. It highlights the large-scale conflicts and destruction that Battlefield as a series is known for and cranks it up in a way that only modern gaming hardware can handle.
How Call of Duty 2021 Could Go Big
There are quite a few ways that Call of Duty 2021 could go big to match up with the precedence set by Battlefield 2042's announcement and gameplay reveal. One of the largest ways that it can do this is through its integration with Call of Duty: Warzone. Battlefield 2042 has been confirmed to not include a battle royale mode at all, and Call of Duty: Warzone is one of the most popular games out there at the moment. If Call of Duty 2021 integrates with Warzone well, it could be massive for both titles. Call of Duty 2021's rumored WW2 setting could bring big changes to the battle royale with an entirely new map, gear, and operators. Solid integration would help Call of Duty 2021 attract many of the players who already love Call of Duty: Warzone while also attracting new and returning players to check out the new content making it into Call of Duty: Warzone.
Call of Duty 2021 could also go big by embracing the variety of game modes that Call of Duty fans have come to expect. It is has been rumored that Call of duty 2021 may not have its own multiplayer mode, and may instead substitute a remaster of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer. This would be a massive attractant for longtime fans of the series, but a proper WW2-themed multiplayer mode could also be great for players who want to revisit that era of Call of Duty's past. Call of Duty 2021 could also stand out by dedicating a lot of resources to its campaign mode. Battlefield 2042 has been confirmed to not include one, and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War disappointed some fans with the brevity of its campaign. Call of Duty 2021 investing heavily into that mode could attract a lot of players, especially if it is set in an interesting alternate history future setting.
What Could Stop Call of Duty 2021 From Going Big
However, some of what sets Call of Duty 2021 up for success could also end up hampering its efforts in the long run. This is largely related to its integration with Call of Duty: Warzone. The integration of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was infamously rocky with many of its guns dominating the meta for months afterward. Call of Duty 2021 will undoubtedly aim for a smoother integration, but it is very possible that the necessary coordination of multiple studios to pull it off may lead to it being rocky once again. The integration may also hamper Call of Duty 2021 in the end by forcing it to use a specific engine or compromise on some of its more revolutionary design decisions to better ease the process.
Another big hurdle that Call of Duty 2021 faces is the rumored development woes that the game has been experiencing. It is heavily rumored that Call of Duty 2021 is struggling through development, which could lead to the game not launching in a very good state or leaving out a lot of its content for future updates. Call of Duty 2021's required seasonal updates could also end up hampering the game's launch state as it could detract resources from the core game or put an even heavier burden on an already struggling development team.
The stage for the battle between Battlefield 2042 and Call of Duty 2021 is already being set, and it will be very interesting to see how the two games measure up to one another. The Battlefield and Call of Duty series have a long history of competition, and the current positions of the two series should make this year a particularly heated and interesting one. Hopefully, Call of Duty 2021 is able to push through any development troubles it is having and rise to the challenge so that fans of both series get a great new entry to enjoy this fall.