As Summer Game Fest rapidly approaches, rumors are starting to swirl about what games will be revealed this year. Earlier this week, we saw rumors that Xbox will be featuring some sort of Gears 6 news -- perhaps an official reveal -- during its planned Showcase.
Now we've got another report stating that the new Call of Duty for 2024 will also be revealed during the event. There are rumors that this year's game will be titled Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War.
The Verge's Tom Warren recently wrote that Microsoft is currently planning for its big Xbox showcase this summer. After corroborating reports that we'll be getting a Gears 6 announcement, Warren also stated that the Xbox Showcase will include "release dates for upcoming Xbox games like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Avowed, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and of course, a new Call of Duty that’s set to debut later this year.”
Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year, putting Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo all under the official Xbox banner. Naturally, it would make sense for Xbox to use its Summer Showcase to highlight a new release in one of the biggest franchises in the gaming industry.
Nothing official is known about this year's Call of Duty game, although there are rumors that it could be set during the Gulf War, a conflict primarily between the United States and Iraq between 1990 and 1991.
Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has corroborated Warren's report, adding that the showcase will feature "some form of deep dive into the game, presumably a campaign mission walkthrough if they go traditional." It's believed Microsoft will wait until around August to reveal the multiplayer gameplay. The reveal for Zombies will likely come shortly afterward.
Henderson also claims Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War will be released in October.
Microsoft announced plans for its Xbox Summer Showcase in February. At the time, they only mentioned that it would take place in June, but The Verge has now reported it will be held on June 9, which has not been officially confirmed. At the time of the initial announcement, Microsoft only specifically mentioned "Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed, Ara: History Untold, Towerborne and more."
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is the most recent game in the long-running first-person shooter franchise. Developed by Sledgehammer Games, it is a sequel to 2022's Modern Warfare II and serves as the third entry in Activision's rebooted Modern Warfare sub-series.