A lot of attention is already starting to turn towards what 2025 has in store for theCall of Dutyfranchise, with many rumors and reports already allowing fans to form a good idea of what to expect from this year’s mainline release. WhileBlack Ops 6did well to break a lot of records forCall of Dutyand maintain a lot of positive attention around the time of its launch, the title has still served to provide Activision with many lessons that can be applied to 2025’s release.
For example, one lingering criticism ofBlack Ops 6concerns the lack of a traditional three-lane structure and size variety in its map pool, with there seemingly being a lot of pressure on 2025’sCall of Dutyto avoid this same pitfall. Despite how much of an issue this has proven to be forBlack Ops 6, the rumored premise of 2025’sCall of Dutyrelease as a direct sequel toBlack Ops 2with some remastered maps should completely avoid this particular criticism.
Call of Duty 2025’s Map Pool Might Play it Safe with Remasters
Many of the earlyreports surrounding 2025’sCall of Dutyprojectare quite intriguing, with most rumors pointing towards the title being a direct sequel to 2012’sBlack Ops 2. This would mark two subsequent years ofBlack OpsCoDreleases, which is understandably drawing some concern given the franchise’s recent history with back-to-back releases for the same sub-franchise.
2022 and 2023 saw the release ofModern Warfare 2andModern Warfare 3as part of Activision’s ambitious reboot of the series, withMW3drawing huge amounts of lingering criticism because of this rapid release schedule.The campaign ofModern Warfare 3was infamously shortdue to its quick development turnaround, with most of its multiplayer content feeling like a vague extension of its predecessor while being reliant on maps from the originalModern Warfare 2.
2023’sModern Warfare 3was reportedly developed in just 16 months, which was quite far below the norm for the franchise.
In fact, all ofModern Warfare 3’s launch multiplayer maps were taken straight from the 2009 title, drawing both excitement and criticism over this glaring lack of originality. While the overall legacy of 2023’sMW3is quite a negative one, the reports of2025 featuring anotherBlack Opstitleseem to run the risk of history repeating itself. Of course, aBO2sequel would feature a near-futuristic setting that would feel quite distinct against the 1990s setting ofBlack Ops 6, but it seems likely that 2025 will see the repeat of oneMW3content strategy if the rumors provde true.
A Blend of Old and New at Launch Could Be a Saving Grace For Call of Duty 2025
Reports suggest that, alongside brand-new multiplayer experiences, 2025’sCoDrelease will feature many remastered maps fromBlack Ops 2, meaning iconic experiences like Hijacked, Standoff, and Raid could easily make renewed appearances in the franchise. Thesenow-classicCall of Dutytitles likeBlack Ops 2did a lot of the legwork in terms of cementing the formula of three-lane maps for the series, and their return in 2025’sCoDwould instantly distance the title fromBlack Ops 6’s more erratically designed experiences.
Of course, this approach still runs the risk of drawing criticism due to a perceived lack of originality or too much change being implemented to historic maps, but the core structure of these remastered experiences should still remain largely the same.The fresh maps ofBlack Ops 6have been controversialsince the game’s release, and a blend of remasteredBO2maps alongside original experiences for 2025’sCoDshould do away with a lot of this.
