Summary
The eyes of theCall of Dutycommunity are already turning towards what the franchise will hold for 2025, with solid rumors and leaks already painting a fair picture of what to expect. Interestingly, it seems that 2025’s entry to the franchise may be a direct sequel toCall of Duty: Black Ops 2, taking the IP in a wildly different direction compared to the recent focus on theModern Warfarerebooted trilogy.
WithCall of Duty: Black Ops 2being a fan-favorite title for many players, the prospect of a direct sequel to the 2012 title is garnering a lot of attention, but there are some key narrative decisions that the game would have to make.Black Ops 2is renowned for its interactive narrative and branching endings, so a 2025 sequel to the game would need to carefully choose what storyline it considers to be canon.
While a sequel toBlack Ops 2in 2025 is being heavily rumored, it has not yet been officially confirmed by Activision.
A Black Ops 2 Sequel Would Need To Choose its Story Carefully
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2did well to continue the story of its 2010 predecessor while honing its own identity with its at-the-time semi-futuristic setting of 2025. The campaign of the game featuredreturningCoDcharacters such as Woods, Mason, and Hudson, while introducing fresh faces like Mason’s son, David, and the iconic villain Raul Menendez.
In a first for the franchise,Black Ops 2offered a fascinating twisting narrative that left the fate of these characters in the hands of the player, featuring eight unique endings in total. The ambiguity around which of these endings was canon has led to a lot of debate over the years.2015’sBlack Ops 3featured an entirely separate campaignthat did nothing to alleviate this mystery.
The rumored upcoming direct sequel toBlack Ops 2is alleged to release in 2025, with theories currently pointing towards Sledgehammer Games taking the reins of the project. While theBlack Opsfranchise has largely been a product of Treyarch in the past, the studio isreportedly developing 2024’sCall of Dutyproject, making Sledgehammer a much more likely candidate for 2025’s release.
Black Ops 2’s Different Endings Put a Sequel in a Tough Spot
The endings ofBlack Ops 2determine whether Mason and Woods survive, as well as the fate of Menendez, who can either be imprisoned or spark a revolution with world-altering consequences. 2024’sBlack Ops 2sequel would have to choose which ending is canon very carefully, with seven popular endings being scrapped regardless of what choice is made.
WithWoods and Mason being such popularBlack Opscharacters, it would seem most sensible that 2025’sCoDchooses to continue from the narrative of them both surviving and Menendez being imprisoned. Regardless of what decision is made, it will be more than likely that David Mason will return, finally giving more screen-time to a layered and underused character. While the narrative of 2025’sCall of Dutymight be controversial in the large decisions that it will have to make, a concrete narrative sequel toBlack Ops 2is a fascinating prospect that fans have been waiting a long time for.
