The PS5 release date looks set for 2020 and appears to have a massive blockbuster game confirmed for its launch year.
In a surprise turn of events, it appears Activision will be releasing Call of Duty Black Ops 5 in 2020.
This would run against the company’s policy of launching games using their three-year development cycle.
As an example, Infinity Ward will be handling this year’s COD launch, which is expected to be Modern Warfare 4.
This was expected to be followed by a new release from Sledgehammer Games, who handled the development of COD WW2 in 2017.
But it appears the standard formula has been upset, meaning the first Call of Duty game appearing on the PS5 will be Black Ops 5.
The news stems from sources speaking to Kotaku, who reports that Treyarch will be launching Bo5 nex year, with Sledgehammer and Raven Studios supporting.
It appears that the game being handled by Raven and Sledgehammer Games will now be folded into a new Black Ops 5 project.
“According to those briefed on the overhaul, Treyarch will take creative leadership on this new Black Ops while Raven and Sledgehammer will serve as support studios for the game, transforming the work they’ve done on their own single-player story mode into a campaign for Black Ops 5, which will also be set during the Cold War,” the report from Kotaku explains.
The other major news connected to this project is that it will be the first Call of Duty game to feature on the PS5.
And not only that, but Black Ops 5 will be one of the cross-gen games mentioned to be in the works by Sony.
“One primary reason behind this Call of Duty upheaval, according to two people familiar with happenings at Activision, is the tension between Sledgehammer and Raven, whose staff are said to have argued frequently during the past year of development on Call of Duty 2020,” the report adds.
“Two people familiar with the project described it as a mess. Now, both studios will serve as support for Treyarch as the publisher prepares to release Black Ops 5.”
It should be noted that this will remain a report until Activision officially confirms their plans for Call of Duty in 2020.
And that isn’t expected to happen soon, so fans may have a long wait before they find out about Black Ops 5.
The good news is that Call of Duty 2019 will be at this year’s E3 gaming expo, despite Activision not attending the event.
And according to the E3 organisers, Infinity Ward will be discussing the new Call of Duty in a panel at the Coliseum event.
“Announcing the first #E3Coliseum event!” reads an E3 tweet.
“Join the Infinity Ward team for a panel discussing the next instalment of the critically-acclaimed Call of Duty franchise.”
Call of Duty fans can grab tickets for the event by visiting the E3 Coliseum website.
The full schedule for 2019 is yet to be revealed, but last year’s Coliseum event featured some blockbuster panels and guests.
PlayStation isn’t attending this year’s E3 event, but it’s clear that small updates will be indirectly shared during the expo.