Where Will Call of Duty Go Next?

I may be a little tardy to the party, but (against my better judgement) I finally decided to pick up the Super Hyper Elite Digital Edition of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. To my credit, the Xbox One version was nearly $40 bucks off courtesy of the Games with Gold program this week. I haven’t touched a Call of Duty since the original Black Ops and I’m not quite sure what possessed me to give the latest entry a shot, but I’m really glad I did.

For far too long the Call of Duty franchise has milked the same basic formula with annual releases on every console possible. The original Modern Warfare completely revolutionized the first-person shooter and the expectations of online multiplayer on a console, but since then we’ve just seen slight alterations to the same core experience. Advanced Warfare appeared as though it planned to take a genuine step in a new direction and after playing for several hours, I can honestly say it does. It’s the first time I’ve cared about a Call of Duty game in over 4 years.

Even though futuristic body suits with advanced mobility and fierce mech-driven combat isn’t an entirely new concept (cough, cough, Crysis. cough, cough, Titanfall.), it’s still a very welcomed addition to the Call of Duty experience. The exo-suits allow you to traverse expansive maps with ease and cool little perks like a super-powered robo-punches make the game feel fresh and exciting. I was pretty damn amped the first time I shot a grenade out of my arm. I felt like a badass modern Mega Man or something. Outrageous additions like these are absolutely the right direction for the series to take, but where do the developers go from here?

We would probably expect the next game in the series to utilize these newly introduced exo-suits, but Activision recently announced that the next Call of Duty would in fact, not use these suits at all. How do they plan to deliver an experience as intense and satisfying as Advanced Warfare by removing one of the coolest features to debut in the franchise in years? What do you do when you’ve given the player supreme power and then decide to take that away? It’s like trying to play classic Resident Evils after being spoiled by the fantastic modern controls. How do you make a player happy with less than they already have? That will be the challenge developers face with the next Call of Duty. Where do you go after the future?

Personally, I feel like Activision should take some obscure ideas and run wild with them. Let’s go crazy with Call of Duty. Why not make the next game set in the Wild West, or better yet, prehistoric times. Call of Duty: Jurassic Age. How fucking cool does that sound? I would buy that in a heartbeat. If we go back to another Modern Warfare after this I’m going to crap my pants and send them to the Activision headquarters. No more of this “same is safe” nonsense. Let’s embrace some original ideas and say “NO!” to boring annual releases.

If you could pick one perfect time, location, or theme for the next Call of Duty, what would it be? I want to know what would keep you guys excited about this long-running franchise. Share in the comment section below! 

Miles Dompier is the chief editor and founder of What’s Your Tag?. He is a Seattle native who recently moved to the sweltering heat of Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a composer/voice actor. When he’s not up writing until his eyes bleed, he likes to play a Prince level of instruments and listen to terrible death metal. Follow his shenanigans on Twitter and be sure to join our gaming community; TEAM XBRO.