It’s not quite official yet, but it’s a near-certainty that the next Call of Duty is Black Ops IV. Rumors have been swirling about this for a few weeks now (as first reported by Eurogamer), and Kotaku can confirm via our own sources that those rumors are true. Plus, there’s tonight’s assist from a future NBA MVP.
En route to tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets superstar (and soon-to-be 2018 MVP) James Harden dressed up in full camo along with a hat that sure looks like the Black Ops III logo extended by one.
For reference:
Of course, the roman numeral for 4 is “IV,” so there’s no indication that this is the actual logo for Black Ops IV. But we’ve heard from two people familiar with the game’s development that the next Call of Duty is indeed a fourth Blops, to be developed by Treyarch, the studio behind the first three Black Ops games. Just like those games, it’ll take place in a near-future setting. No word on whether James Harden will be a character.
Activision didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. It’s not clear whether Harden is having some fun with rumors or helping launch a viral marketing campaign for the next Call of Duty, but we really, really hope it’s the former. UPDATE (10:03pm): Shortly after publication, one source confirmed that Harden is indeed wearing the official logo for, uh, Black Ops IIII.
Black Ops is back! In what represents a game-changing experience, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will revolutionize the top-selling series in Call of Duty history when it launches worldwide on Friday, October 12 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Call of Duty fans can tune in Thursday, May 17, when publisher Activision, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, and award-winning developer Treyarch host the community reveal to a worldwide audience.
For more information and the latest intel on Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, check out: callofduty.com and follow @Treyarch and @CallofDuty on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.