A new Call of Duty: Vanguard trailer just launched, and while it's more of a teaser, it sets the stage for the WW2 shooter.
Publisher Activision Blizzard, responsible for the game this article refers to, is currently embroiled in ongoing litigation in regards to claims reporting a workplace culture that allegedly enabled acts of sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination. Read our Activision Blizzard lawsuit timeline of events for ongoing coverage of the events.
The CoD Vanguard trailer – embedded via YouTube below – shows off a war-torn Eastern Front and the fact that the FPS series is returning to its Nazi-killing roots. It doesn’t actually show true gameplay or any characters – it's a ghost town – but the in-game locales look well-detailed and fit for next-gen consoles.
The biggest tease comes from the text at the end, which says a full reveal will take place on August 19 at 1:30pm ET / 10:30am PT, and it's coming inside Call of Duty's largest battle royale game, Call of Duty Warzone.
Analysis: Another year, another new tour of Duty
Activision’s annual Call of Duty release is possible because it employs a number of developers who continually churn out entries in the series – sometimes with multiple developers handling different aspects of the game.
This year, it’s developer Sledgehammer Games’ turn.
In the past, Sledgehammer was responsible for Call of Duty: WW2 and helped Infinity Ward, another one of Activision’s developers, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and the Modern Warfare reboot.
Expectations will certainly be high for Vanguard as the franchise is one of Activision/Blizzard's biggest releases each year, however, its announcement comes just one month after the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard Inc following a two-year investigation into the company’s alleged discrimination against female employees.
That investigation will continue to play out as we creep closer to the eventual Call of Duty: Vanguard release date – likely in October or November of this year – and may certainly have an impact on how gamers receive the game when it’s launched.
