Speculation on the next Call of Duty has gone into overdrive this week with Activision and Treyarch kicking off a viral marketing campaign running up to the game’s official announcement. Yesterday was another crazy day for hype, excitement and theories. Black Ops 2 was updated again where the Message of the Day was edited to say “And it begins…” along with an image of a tree with a logo hidden in the background (a user on Twitter has a clearer image here), and a number of letters and numbers have been removed (e.g. allista instead of Ballista), which appear to form a sequence (B, L, 1, 4, 7 appear to have been discovered so far).
YouTubers and community folk have also updated their social media profiles with a mysterious new image which appears to be some sort of official marketing asset. On top of all of the above, three new Snapchat teasers have been released and combined with everything released so far, the viral campaign has certainly provided the community with plenty of thoughts and theories to comprehend…
Viral Teaser #5
#5 Snapchat! @charlieINTEL pic.twitter.com/o5RIW5sWux
— Tiemen (@ThaTiemsz) April 8, 2015
The first not to have a voiceover, it’s clear that we’re beginning to see a recurring theme in what the Snapchat teasers are showing. Firstly, again we’re shown a forest location like the previous clips, and again it seems likely that it’s some sort of memory or flashback from the patient Dr. Salim is working on. Secondly, it appears that this clip shows a CAT Scan and wouldn’t be the first time that an organ has been shown; a brain and/or lungs appear to show in previous teasers.
Viral Teaser #6
@charlieINTEL @Chaosxsilencer new snap pic.twitter.com/mh2vkoxR5J
— Element (@Elemxnt) April 8, 2015
This teaser is a little less straightforward than the others. A short clip, we can make out birds, crows and wolves. Call of Duty: Game of Thrones anyone?! Most likely, this clip is to show the patient’s dream of wildlife. As Dr. Salim is trying to get him to think of a happy place to calm and settle him, and we’ve since that his thoughts of a forest reflect this, this is likely more of what he’s viewing in his mind; a calm and peaceful location away from human life and surrounded by animals instead.
Viral Teaser #7
@charlieINTEL @Chaosxsilencer new snap pic.twitter.com/52FQ8Zq7oS
— Element (@Elemxnt) April 9, 2015
A third consecutive clip without the Doctor’s voice, I get the feeling that the clips are released in order and the Doctor has set in motion the patient’s dream sequence and is happy to keep quiet while the patient thinks of positive and calm surroundings. Clearly set in a snowy location, we can see a cabin which is surrounded by trees and mountains. Perhaps this is a holiday home that the patient liked to visit? A short while later, what appears to be an explosion or eruption happens in what looks to be the same location. Is this perhaps a flashback/nightmare rather than the calm and peaceful surroundings the patient is meant to be picturing?
Random Thoughts
One thing that we can deduce from all of the teasers is that there is a serious thought-related session going on between a patient and a doctor. Is the doctor good or bad? Did the patient willingly opt to see the doctor? The patient could be trying to deal with some form of post-traumatic stress, hence the clips are mixed with good thoughts triggered by the doctor (a calm and happy place such as the forest) as well as bad thoughts of the patient’s past (his memory of war). However, it could also potentially be that the doctor is trying to brainwash the patient. Another theory is the possibility of a brain transplant. Could some organisation/war group be using surgical treatment to create their own tailored ‘bionic soldiers’? That would certainly be a step beyond Advanced Warfare’s Exo Suits.
The similarities of some of these theories and teaser analyses in comparison to the Black Ops series are clear to see. The first two titles heavily featured some of the elements shown in the clips so far. In Black Ops 1, the protagonist is interrogated using various processes that get him to delve deep inside his own mind to uncover the real truth. Similarly, in Black Ops 2, the protagonist visits Frank Woods to interview him in order to locate the present day enemy. Both games use a combination of flashbacks and present-day (‘present’ in the game timeline) gameplay to present the game’s story. It’s for this reason, in particular, that I feel that the next game will again utilize a similar format and span multiple eras. But where will that leave multiplayer? Multiplayer likely won’t be revealed until the Summer, so we won’t know exactly how the mode will operate. However, while the mode might include items from multiple eras, the story’s most recent era would likely be the dominant pulling force.
Who knows, but we love to go wild with the theories! The way things have heated up this week, and with community V.I.Ps sharing what appears to be marketing assets, we wouldn’t be surprised if official news come soon, although Call of Duty reveals don’t usually happen until around the end of April/beginning of May.
Previous Related Articles
- Snapchat Easter Egg found in Black Ops 2
- Snapchat Viral #1
- Snapchat Viral #2
- Snapchat Viral #3 and #4
- Mysterious Marketing Asset/Logo
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