Call of Duty: Vanguard is on the horizon, and here’s everything we know about the upcoming game’s release date, who’s developing it, leaks, and Warzone integration.
As always, a new year means a new Call of Duty game. The upcoming Call of Duty 2021 release is as mysterious as it is exciting, and we’re sure to get another year of Warzone updates combined with a brand new (or returning) setting for the franchise.
As time has passed, more information has begun to rise to the surface regarding the 2021 title called Call of Duty: Vanguard, its setting, and its possible integration with Warzone.
With the resounding success of Modern Warfare, Warzone, and Black Ops Cold War, the 2021 iteration of Call of Duty is sure to be a huge release. Cold War has now completely integrated with Warzone, bringing the game to the 1980s, and with 2021’s game set to integrate too, the setting has never been more important.
Here’s everything we know about the 2021 game Call of Duty: Vanguard.
Call of Duty: Vanguard title & teaser
There is a rumor from ModernWarzone that the working title for the 2021 Call of Duty is ‘ Vanguard.’ This title adds credibility to the potential of this being a World War game, as Vanguard is the foremost part of an advancing army or naval force.
While ModernWarzone believes this title may be changed in the future, Eurogamer “understands Activision’s current plan is to stick with the Vanguard subtitle for the final version.”
There has been no official word from Activision yet, and plans could certainly change in the future. A new report by Video Games Chronicle on June 9, 2021, has also reported that this year’s game will be called Call of Duty: Vanguard.
A new teaser has all but confirmed that the next Call of Duty game will indeed be called Vanguard. The artwork for Warzone and Black Ops Cold War Season 5 has Japanese text streaming down it.
One user has singled out some of the text, and it translates to: “Vanguard is coming.”
CoD: Vanguard release date
Call of Duty games traditionally release in November. However, Modern Warfare and Black Ops 4 were both released in October. Ideally, Call of Duty targets the first Friday of every November, as we saw for CoD WW2 and Infinite Warfare releases.
The Friday tradition started with Black Ops 3, where games before saw releases on the first Tuesday of November. Below you can read some of the recent Call of Duty releases.
- Advanced Warfare: November 4, 2014
- Black Ops III: November 6, 2015
- Infinite Warfare: November 4, 2016
- WWII: November 3, 2017
- Black Ops 4: October 12, 2018
- Modern Warfare: October 25, 2019
- Black Ops Cold War: November 13, 2020
We could expect this year’s Call of Duty game to release on either the first or second Friday of November 2021. That gives us a possible date of either the 5th or 12th of November.
What we do know for sure is that the rumored Call of Duty Vanguard title will release in 2021. During the company’s Investor Call on August 3, Activision Blizzard executives confirmed that the latest ‘premium’ entry to the Call of Duty franchise will launch later this year.
Activision Blizzard President & COO said that “our teams remain hard at work on the next new premium Call of Duty release, planned for the fourth quarter.”
CoD: Vanguard setting and time period
One rumor suggests that the 2021 game will be set during the World War II era again, and Eurogamer reported that this will be true.
ModernWarzone claimed that CoD: Vanguard would be an alternate history version of WWII set in the 1950s. However, Eurogamer’s sources disputed this information, saying it would be a “traditional WW2 setting.”
A June 9, 2021 report by Video Games Chronicle stated that the setting for Call of Duty: Vanguard will be in both the Pacific and European Theaters of World War II. The reported plot will focus on the birth of modern allied special forces and will feature Campaign, Zombies, and Multiplayer modes.
Which studio is developing CoD: Vanguard ?
In Activision’s Q4 earnings call, they confirmed that a new Call of Duty game would be releasing in 2021, with Sledgehammer Games in charge of development.
Sledgehammer released Call of Duty: WWII in 2017 but faced difficulties after their co-founders and many team members left. However, Sledgehammer hired over 150 new people to the studio in 2020 and recently opened a new studio in Toronto.
Activision said that “Development is being led by Sledgehammer Games, and the game is looking great and on track for its fall release.”
Call of Duty: Vanguard reveal date
There is still no confirmation on when Vanguard will be officially revealed, however by looking at Black Ops Cold War’s announcement, we can hazard a guess. For the first time in Call of Duty history, the next game was revealed in an in-game live event.
All signs point towards Vanguard being revealed inside Warzone, with a recent leak suggesting the Vanguard will be revealed during Season 4. On June 9, 2021, Video Games Chronicle also reported on the idea that Call of Duty: Vanguard will be revealed through an in-game event in Warzone and that it will have a November release date.
Activision’s president confirmed in a recent interview that their games could be released “later in the year” than before, and VGC also said that Call of Duty will be skipping E3.
With this information and Cold War’s reveal last year, it’s likely that Call of Duty: Vanguard will be revealed in July or August 2021.
July 16, 2021, saw reputable leaker Tom Henderson report for DualSHOCKERS that the reveal for Call of Duty: Vanguard may be taking place between August 18-25 via a Warzone live event in the same way that Black Ops Cold War was revealed.
What engine will Call of Duty: Vanguard run on?
One of the biggest talking points when discussing Black Ops Cold War and Warzone is the engine. Infinity Ward brought an entirely new, more realistic-feeling engine with Modern Warfare and Warzone, while Cold War used an updated version of the Black Ops 3 engine with a more classic CoD feel.
With players often switching between Cold War and Warzone, the engine shift can feel jarring, so fans are keen to find out which engine CoD: Vanguard will run on.
A report by VGC claims that 2021’s Call of Duty will be on Modern Warfare’s engine. This means the game will likely have the same feel as MW and Warzone and will run similarly, boasting the same improvements to realism and performance.
Activision has also said that “the game is “being built” for next-generation consoles & PC,” but there’s no official confirmation that the game will also release for the Xbox One and PS4.
However, VGC reported on June 9, 2021, that Call of Duty: Vanguard is being developed for current and last generation consoles and PC.
Will Call of Duty: Vanguard integrate with Warzone?
Black Ops Cold War integrated with Warzone at its first season, bringing across Operators, weapons, and even Zombies.
Activision has stated that they intend to keep Warzone at the ‘front and center’ of Call of Duty for a long time. In the Q4 investor call, Activision confirmed that CoD 2021 is “designed to both integrate with and enhance the existing COD ecosystem.”
A June 9, 2021 report by VGC states that the integration between Warzone and Call of Duty: Vanguard will be very extensive thanks to Sledgehammer Games having more time to prepare for it. This integration will see Warzone transition to a World War II setting following its transition to the 1980s in Season 3 of Black Ops Cold War.
New Warzone map reportedly arriving with Vanguard
This setting transition will see a new Pacific Theater World War II Warzone map be the main focus, as it will reportedly be the largest map the Call of Duty battle royale has ever seen. This new Warzone map will also reportedly feature new vehicles for players to use.
Notable leaker and industry insider Tom Henderson has now leaked even more details about this new Warzone map. He reported that the map will arrive with Vanguard’s release, and it’ll be significantly larger than Verdansk.
Henderson clarified that he’s heard the new vehicles will be tanks, boats, and planes. But, the more game-breaking vehicles will likely be reserved for an LTM.
The map’s POIs reportedly leaked online, but Henderson believes these may now be out of date. He’s heard that the Docks location may now be scrapped, and a Japanese battleship will feature on the map.
Also, this map is said to feature destructible environments in a similar fashion to Rainbow Six Siege. It won’t feature Battlefield level destruction, but you’ll be able to destroy walls, doors, trees, and other aspects of the environment.
We’ll be sure to update this post with any new information, as it becomes available.
A new Battlefield game will also be released late in 2021, and the game has now been officially revealed, so you can check out everything we know about Battlefield 2042 and its multiplayer maps, modes, and Specialists.
Image Credit: Activision