Call of Duty 2020 is easily one of the most anticipated upcoming announcements of the year, and for good reason. Though it has always been popular, the Call of Duty franchise has hit some all time highs with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, as that title has been more successful than most. While in most cases this would be a good thing, this level of anticipation also comes with incredibly high expectation, and Treyarch and Activision are going to have to work hard in order to meet and exceed those expectations. There are a number of factors that will make this more difficult than previous years.

Call of Duty 2020 must be coming out soon, as 2020 is already more than halfway over and the franchise has released a new game almost every year since 2003. When the game will be announced is still unknown, but fans know that it is coming. Though it will no doubt be successful, it is worth looking at the numerous hurdles that Call of Duty 2020 will need to jump over in order to perform as well as its predecessor, Modern Warfare, and it turns out to be a lot more than most people might think.

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Call of Duty 2020 Developer

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Though diehard Call of Duty fans probably knew this already, more casual fans may need a refresher. Each Call of Duty game is handled by a different developer, with Treyarch, Infinity Ward, and Sledgehammer Games trading off each year. This year was technically supposed to be Sledgehammer Games' turn, but it has been confirmed that Treyarch will be taking the lead this time. While this cycle has worked in the past, it does provide a difficult situation for developers as they work on the next title. Essentially, Treyarch has to live up to and surpass Infinity Ward's legacy rather than its own.

This works both in Treyarch's favor and against it. On the one hand, Treyarch Call of Duty games are known for their inclusion of Zombies modes, which have always been a fan favorite since their introduction. On the other hand, many have strong opinions on which of the two developers handles the games better. A quick google search shows that many seem to prefer Infinity Ward namely for how well it handles hit detection when compared to Treyarch games. Regardless, this will certainly prove to be a setback for Treyarch, as fans are already entering with expectations and opinions.

Call of Duty 2020 Expectations

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is unlike anything the Call of Duty community had seen before. The game is constantly updated, features characters and maps from a myriad of Call of Duty game, and comes with a free battle royale companion in the form of Warzone. The result of all of this is that fans are expecting higher quality Call of Duty games from the franchise, and anything less than this simply won't fly. With all that said, Treyarch is sure to have a tough time making Call of Duty 2020 as much of a spectacle as Modern Warfare.

To make matters worse, even Infinity Ward's flaws will be held against Treyarch. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone are beloved by fans, but they are also full of sometimes game breaking glitches. Recently, pro Call of Duty players are upset about a Modern Warfare exploit that allows players to see the enemy team's location. This issue has been present since the game launched and has yet to be addressed by Infinity Ward. In the same way that players will expect all the good from Modern Warfare to remain in Call of Duty 2020, they will expect all of the bad to be fixed as well.

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PS5 VS Xbox Series X

Whether or not Call of Duty 2020 releases on next generation consoles, it needs to adhere to next generation trends. One trend which has already begun taking root in the current generation is the desire for longevity in games. Most developers are shying away from releasing sequels, instead choosing to update and support currently released titles for far longer than their usual lifespans. This can even be seen in 343 Industries' upcoming plans, as it aims to make Halo Infinite the only Halo game on Xbox Series X.

This problem is in part due to Modern Warfare but also caused by Activision's release schedule for Call of DutyModern Warfare has been treating itself in this way, taking a seasonal approach and keeping the game alive with constant updates that have engaged fans. Most likely, these updates won't simply stop once Call of Duty 2020 releases, meaning that game will have to compete with its predecessor in a sense. In previous years, once the new Call of Duty game released, there was little reason to continue playing the old one, but that is no longer the case.

How Can Call of Duty 2020 Overcome These Challenges

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Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this problem. Treyarch is going to need to work incredibly hard to produce the best Call of Duty game that it can if it wants to regain fans' trust and respect after Black Ops 4's negative reception. The best way for it to go about doing this is to focus on its own strengths and weaknesses rather than constantly comparing itself to Modern Warfare. That comparison is bound to be made at some point, but if Treyarch can really single out what makes its games great and double down on those things it could win fans over.

If hit detection has always been a problem, Treyarch should spend extra resources solving that issue, and since the Zombies mode is so beloved, it should be polished and made available to players without excessive in game transactions. Aside from this, there are certainly fans which weren't happy with the direction that Infinity Ward took Call of Duty: Modern Warfare; Treyarch could capitalize on that by releasing a more traditional Call of Duty game. It's hard to say whether this kind of strategy would go over well, as it mostly depends on how well it is executed, though.

Call of Duty 2020 is in development.

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