Black Ops 4's decision to not include a single player campaign mode was met with mixed feedback. While many were indifferent to the change and viewed multiplayer as Call of Duty's most important feature, some were disappointed that the series seemed to be moving away from narrative-driven experiences. Those in the latter camp will be happy to hear that Infinity Ward is hiring for a Narrative Scripter, suggesting that 2019's entry into the series will see the return of single player.

Since 2014, Call of Duty games have been created by cycling three development studios: Sledgehammer Games, Treyarch, and Infinity Ward. There's little in the way of concrete information on next year's title, which is in the hands of Infinity Ward, but there have been multiple leaks and rumors suggesting that they are working on Modern Warfare 4 for 2019.

The job title itself is a pretty strong indicator that single player is making a return to Call of Duty, as is the listing calling for, "A strong desire to bring life to game characters through naturalistic and cinematic implementation of vocal performance." There's an outside chance that this may not refer to single player – Black Ops 4, after all, will attach a narrative of some sort to each of its multiplayer Specialists – but overall, the listing definitely points towards a traditional cinematic single player experience.

The return of single player isn't the only revelation to come out of the job listing. The role also specifies that the unannounced title will be for "multiple next-gen platforms". It's surprising to hear that Infinity Ward's next title will be next-gen, since 2019 seems far too early for the PS5 and Xbox Scarlet to release. Given this, it's possible that the title will in fact not be released in 2019, or that the game will release on current consoles as well as on next-gen at a later date.

It's interesting to see that Call of Duty will return to including a single player campaign, but rather unsurprising – especially if 2019's title is Modern Warfare 4. The Modern Warfare series received critical acclaim for its cinematic narratives, and produced some of the franchise's most well-known characters in Captain Price and "Soap" MacTavish. Many fans of the series would be disappointed to see a new Modern Warfare without a story, but if Infinity Ward's job listing is anything to go by, there's nothing to worry about on that front.

Call of Duty's 2019 title is currently in development, though no details have been confirmed.

Source: Infinity Ward