While the Call of Duty franchise is defined by the Modern Warfare and Black Ops brands, there have been plenty of other entries in the long-running series. Some of these games tell one-and-done stories, such as Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s fall of the Atlas Corporation and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s tragic clash between the SCAR and SDF. Other Call of Duty games end on cliffhangers, however, with a few big setups going unexplored to this day.
While some of the following Call of Duty sequels will likely happen, others will not, as not every game that received a cliffhanger conclusion proved popular with fans. Further, some Call of Duty titles that seemingly set up something more released years ago, ensuring that there are no plans in place to go back to them. Still, even the most divisive entries in the franchise have their loyalists, and these communities would surely love to see what would come next if a sequel ever arrived.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Not only does Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s success make it a likely candidate for a sequel, but the 2019 game has already been rumored for a 2022 release. Infinity Ward clearly has more of a story to tell as well, as the conclusion of reboot hyped up the return of Task Force 141. The scene saw Captain Price listing members of his team, with the heroic soldier rebuilding the fan favorite lineup from the original Modern Warfare trilogy. Both an obvious and deserving choice for a sequel, fans will surely be excited when the game's first trailer arrives.
Seeing characters like Soap MacTavish and Simon “Ghost” Riley in the reboot’s more realistic universe would be promising, and it would be interesting to see how much of the old plot was used. Shocking deaths, major twists, and huge battles could be seen happening again, or they may never happen at all in favor of a brand-new narrative. Price could die instead of Soap, and Shepherd could be a loyal ally instead of a heartless traitor. Players not knowing what to expect from the new story is exciting, and seeing their favorite characters involve in the plot only makes the prospect of a follow-up more appealing.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Depending on how Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s next few Seasons of content play out, a sequel may not be necessary. As of now, though, the latest Black Ops game’s story remains unfinished. At the end of the campaign’s canon ending, Perseus’ plan is foiled by the CIA. However, the villain lives to fight another day, with no closure provided regarding the Russian spy’s fate. While it initially seemed like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War would cover this via its multiplayer updates and Call of Duty: Warzone quests, the focus has seemingly turned to a fight between Adler and Stitch.
While a Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War campaign DLC would be great to see, it seems unlikely. If multiplayer does not wrap up the topic of Perseus and his escape from the CIA’s clutches, though, the campaign’s ending will remain anticlimactic and unsatisfying. Further, a sequel would likely be needed to finish up the hunt for Perseus. While some fun topics could be covered with a direct follow-up, such as the start of the conflict between Raul Menendez and Frank Woods, players may rather see another era explored by Treyarch. On top of that, there is another Black Ops-related cliffhanger that needs to be addressed.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 remains the weirdest part of the Black Ops timeline, and for good reason. The narrative focuses entirely on cloning, with Alex Mason’s granddaughters at war over the technology. Savannah Mason feels determined to make the technology as widespread as possible, creating “archetypes” of her grandfather, his best friend Frank Woods, his nemesis Raul Menendez, and more. With odd touches like Menendez being her partner-in-crime and Woods being her romantic interest, Savannah is a character that is begging to be explored properly. Moments like Mason’s clone being brainwashed to kill his granddaughter are as dark as they are ridiculous, and they also would have been fun to see in action.
She also attempts to kill her sister, Jessica, a moment that sees an injured Jessica preparing for war against her cruel family member. Assembling multiplayer Specialists like Ruin and Battery, the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 cutscenes end with Jessica teasing the conflict. While the narrative was expanded further via Blackout mode, gamers never got to see what would have happened in a fight between the Specialists and Savannah’s Archetypes. While this sequel will likely never happen, as the Call of Duty franchise seems to be steering clear of futuristic settings, it is a bit odd that this plot will likely just be swept under the rug.
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Finally, there is 2013’s Call of Duty: Ghosts, the game with one of the most-discussed cliffhangers in the entire series. For over 7 years, gamers have been waiting to find out what happened to Logan Walker at the end of the campaign. Dragged away by the story’s villain Rorke, the protagonist was seemingly taken off to the woods and tortured in the same way Rorke was. With the goal of making him a “Ghost killer,” players could have controlled Logan’s brother Hesh in the sequel.
Aside from the campaign, Call of Duty: Ghosts featured the game mode Extinction. A stand-in for Treyarch’s Zombies, the unique, objective-based co-op mode saw players facing off with Cryptids. A fun attempt at something different, this mode also seemed to leave the door open for more, with the entirety of Earth wiped out by the aliens and the last remnants of humanity left floating into space. While it would have been interesting to see the mode continued in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, that did not happen, with a divisive Zombies mode provided instead.
Sadly, with so much time passed, fans of Call of Duty: Ghosts will likely never find out what happened to Logan or see the next chapter in the Extinction storyline. While the game failed to live up to the Modern Warfare and Black Ops standard, it did some things well, and those that enjoyed it would surely love to see some answers provided for the long running mysteries of the game’s singleplayer and co-op modes. Hopefully, Sledgehammer’s upcoming Call of Duty game tells a self-contained story or gets a sequel, as Call of Duty: Ghosts fans remain unsatisfied to this day.