While it won't be, at the very least, an entire year until the next iteration of Call of Duty releases to tremendous fanfare and anticipation, a few very vague and hard to decipher details have been released that give us some clues where Neversoft's first crack at the franchise might go. Obviously the assumption is that Modern Warfare, the series within the series, is done. Infinity Ward sufficiently wrapped up that story with last year's Modern Warfare 3; giving many of the Call of Duty franchise's most iconic characters their due.

However, this new and unconfirmed report suggests that Modern Warfare might be back for one more go around albeit with a new developer at the helm. Using the term 'modern warfare' could also be a way to delineate the nature of this game's combat, meaning that it will still be in a modern context.

Furthermore, the title might not just be taking place in modern times, but may be leapfrogging Black Ops 2 and taking players further into the future. There's talk of Drone Surveillance and HALO jumps — along with a level under ice, cloaking tech, and "something called a 'Dominator UAV.' We know, it's some pretty vague pieces of information, but leaks for Call of Duty tend to turn out true a large portion of the time.

A contact for Se7enSins recently visited the Neversoft offices and apparently got a brief (read: very brief) look at their game. What they could jot down pales in comparison to what they saw, but clearly this individual did their best. Here's what they have delivered:

“It’s another MW game. There’s something called, ‘Drone Survaillance’. They’re working on ‘HALO’ jumps (High Altitude; Low X.) There is a level under ice. There is cloaking tech. Somethin called a ‘Dominator UAV’.”

Getting back to analyzing the paper thin info — it could be assumed that this next game, possibly titled Modern Warfare 4, will incorporate current and future tech into another interesting take on the state of warfare. Yes, Treyarch beat Infinity Ward to the punch on that road, but they're also keeping to a strict storytelling motif as well, something that this new phase of Modern Warfare wouldn't have to.

A mission under ice sounds cool, but without any sort of explanation as to the where or why, it's just an interesting idea. HALO jumps have been in games before, but in the Call of Duty context there's no doubt they'll be a high point when playing.

Neversoft Working on Call of Duty

It's a very specific turning point for the Call of Duty franchise next year, with two hopefully very powerful next-gen consoles set to be unveiled. It seems as if Activision put Neversoft on the job for next year, so that Infinity Ward could prepare for that next phase of gaming (i.e. build a new engine, map out a new concept). We may not know where the Call of Duty franchise is headed in the future, but we have a better idea where it might be going next year.

How do you envision Neversoft's version of Call of Duty? Would you like to see them continue the Modern Warfare storyline or branch out on their own?

Source: Se7enSins (via IGN)