The live-service lifecycle for Call of Duty: Vanguard and Call of Duty: Warzone is winding down. The fifth and final in-game season is set to debut on August 24, and this will, in all likelihood, mark the last major update before the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the long-anticipated Call of Duty: Warzone sequel. Developer Sledgehammer Games seems to have cooked up a pretty captivating send-off, as, alongside a host of new maps, modes, and weapons is a selection of four new operators, all of whom hail from previous Call of Duty titles.Offering a villainous variety of a sort never before seen, Season 5 will see Khaled Al-Asad from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Raul Menendez from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, He “Seraph” Zhen-Zhen from Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, and Gabriel Rorke from Call of Duty: Ghosts join the fray. The former two will be available from the get-go, while the latter two will be introduced mid-season. Al-Asad may be familiar to those brushing up on their Call of Duty: Modern Warfare lore ahead of the new installment, and Menendez may intrigue those continually calling for a remake or remaster of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.RELATED: Call of Duty: Vanguard Reveals Season 5 Zombies PlansSet in the at-the-time distant year of 2025, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was the first game in the long-running FPS franchise to really embrace a far-future aesthetic. While subsequent entries like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare would take that direction to the extreme, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was an interesting mix of futuristic tech and traditional boots-on-the-ground gameplay. Many fans hope that Treyarch will reflect on its work on the 2012 title as Call of Duty’s all-but-inevitable next Black Ops installment takes shape, though, given Microsoft’s recent acquisition of the property, it’s hard to say for sure what may be in store for the future.

Yet, the return of Raul Menendez alongside the anachronistic introduction of a space-age laser weapon could indicate an eventual return to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s now not-so-far-off future. Recent rumors suggest that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will receive support through 2024 in lieu of a new release in late 2023, though, so it could be a while before fans know for sure.

Ultimately, this may be an example of putting the Call of Duty cart before the Modern Warfare horse. With both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Warzone 2 likely to release before year's end, there’s likely a year’s worth of content to experience before Black Ops 2 remake speculation can ramp up.

Call of Duty: Warzone is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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