Call Of Duty 2021 Name Updated On Battlenet - And It’s Not Vanguard

There's a Call of Duty bombshell on the way, as the rumoured Vanguard has just lost its name. While it's all hearsay and rumours about what Call of Duty 2021 will be about, the name "Vanguard" has come up repeatedly - until now. 

It's been a huge year and a half for Call of Duty, with the global pandemic seeing the Call of Duty: Warzone player base boom and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War becoming one of 2020's biggest titles.

There are big shoes to fill with Call of Duty 2021, and with the divisive Sledgehammer Games back in the saddle, the pressure is mounting.

Why is Call of Duty 2021 not called Vanguard?

Cast your minds back to last year, where Black Ops Cold War appeared ahead of time under the codename Red Door. It was all part of Activision's plan to keep a lid on leaks, and while we all know that didn't exactly pan out, it looks like the publisher is doing the same with Call of Duty 2021.

Over on Battle.net, there's a mention of "Slipstream" and a patriotic logo in red, white, and blue. Industry insider Tom Henderson notes how the Slipstream logo looks particularly WWII themed. Bearing in mind that we first started hearing whispers about what would become Black Ops Cold War this time last year, expect the leaks to start creeping through the cracks. 

While we're sold on the idea of Call of Duty 2021 being called Vanguard, does the "Slipstream" reveal mean it could be time to drop Vanguard? Then again, things could be completely off-track and in a bizarre turn of events, Call of Duty: Vanguard has been the game's real title all along. 

What's going on with Call of Duty: Vanguard?

It was also around this time last year that Black Ops Cold War entered its Alpha testing phase. Despite rumours that Vanguard has been a "f*****g disaster" and could even slip into 2022, others suggest it's all hands on deck and Activision has pulled in multiple teams to make sure the game releases on time.

Slipstream's is our biggest clue yet that things are on track for a hopeful Call of Duty 2021 release later this year. There's been a flurry of news surrounding the upcoming game, with the Slipstream news following in the footsteps of reputable leakers claiming Call of Duty: WWII's London Docks map will return.

The idea that there won't be a new Call of Duty in 2021 would've been a massive slap in the face for fans of the franchise and would mark the first time we haven't leapt into battle since 2004. Just like Black Ops Cold War was integrated into Warzone with Verdansk '84, players can't wait to shoot up a WWII-themed version of the battle royale juggernaut.

As with all things CoD, we're listening out for the air raid siren and some solid confirmation of what's on the way and when. We expect Treyarch and Sledgehammer are hard at work behind the scenes, with their own army of developers making sure Call of Duty 2021 wins the war of the first-person shooters.