Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 To Release In 2018, Analyst Predicts

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 could be 2018’s Call Of Duty game, according to a recent Cowen & Company analysis referenced by GameSpot. In addition to predicting a slightly negative future for Activision’s stock price, the financial firm expects Treyarch to release a new Black Ops next November.

This claim comes as part of a larger story suggesting some of the publisher’s latest endeavors may not be as successful as investors hope. Cowen described the fledgling Overwatch World League as “a learning experience” because “OWL needs to demonstrate that it can attract a significant audience.” While there may be bigger profits down the road for the venture, the firm believes success won’t be immediate. Additionally, a recent Candy Crush advertising push seems to be slower at boosting revenue than anticipated.

On the Call Of Duty front, the firm's reporting points to positive signs for the future. Given the immense traction that’s picked up since April, Cowen predicts Call Of Duty: WWII will sell far better than the underperforming Infinite Warfare. Looking forward to 2018, the study mentions that Treyarch (and a possible Black Ops 4) could keep that positive momentum going.

Does this firm know anything we don’t? Probably not. After all, no specific evidence in the report points to a new Black Ops next year. If we had to guess, we assume Cowen is working off the assumption that Treyarch will release 2018’s Call Of Duty and that the studio’s been totally dedicated to Black Ops since 2010. It’s also worth noting that Activision as a publisher very overtly makes development decisions to maximize profit. As the franchise’s most lucrative sub-series by far, it’d be economically smart to keep Black Ops in the conversation while it’s still making money.

That being said, we’d be remiss if we didn’t call back to an interesting job post from Treyarch that surfaced last month. The studio is apparently seeking someone with a “deep knowledge base of firearms and modern military technology” for its next big project. The main insinuation that emerged back then is that Treyarch could be working on a new Modern Warfare. However, time jumps between eras are also a staple of the Black Ops brand as well.

We wouldn’t classify this report as anything beyond a basic assumption, but it’s interesting to see a reputable party call out the Black Ops 4 name so soon. The question that remains, of course, is if Activision will resist the obvious financial imperative to go back to black.

Before that can happen, Call Of Duty: WWII comes to PS4, Xbox One and PC Nov. 3.

Will Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 release in 2018, or will Treyarch try something different? Tell us in the comments section!