Call of Duty 2024 artwork suggests it's dropping rumoured Gulf War setting

Anticipation for Call of Duty 2024 is ramping up, and the fire has just been stoked by Xbox eluding that a reveal for Treyarch's upcoming title could be coming on June 9.

Xbox has just revealed that its Game Showcase 2024 will feature a separate ordeal for a "[Redacted]" game from a "beloved franchise" - pointing directly towards Call of Duty. Still, the reveal might not be what everyone is expecting, and the rumoured Gulf War tag might actually be left in the dirt.

Xbox hints at Call of Duty 2024 dropping the Gulf War tag

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Black Ops Gulf War has never been confirmed, although Treyarch's next instalment is very well documented. Leaks have continuously padded out that it will be a sequel to Cold War set some time after, reportedly during the Gulf War.

As always, leaks are subject to change, and the latest artwork might actually be indicating that the Gulf War is no longer the CoD 2204 setting. For Xbox's reveal, the redacted logo reportedly has left some small glimpses of the trademark Impact font, where Black Ops appears to be visible.

Eagle-eyed sleuths have noticed there's no room for "Gulf War" on the strapline. Instead, fans have hypothesised that the redacted artwork actually reads "Black Ops V" or "VI" and will completely ignore the Gulf War setting. 

Black Ops V could be Treyarch's next Call of Duty

Aside from those inside Xbox, nobody actually knows what's underneath the blacked-out artwork, but fans appear to be convinced that there isn't a secondary title to the Black Ops tag.

Even if the tag is dropped, that doesn't mean we won't have elements of the Gulf War in the campaign. Leaks already suggest that weapons from that time period are being used, typical of the Black Ops sub-series. 

On the other hand, this could be a pivot that Treyarch has opted for as the open-world campaign will come into effect, as the Gulf War can't be done and dusted in one battle royale-sized map.

We now know there are only six weeks until we likely get to see what's actually going on in Treyarch's title and, possibly, the one after that.