The Call of Duty franchise has had an undeniable impact on the video game industry. Iconic gaming experiences have come from realistic depictions of World War II and Vietnam and evolved into mayhem featuring jetpacks, neon suits, and Nazi zombies. But along the way, it was clear that the franchise did its best to avoid crossing the line of too much involvement with fighting against Iraq or other states in the Middle East. All of that may be changing as potential Black Ops 5 content was leaked in the summer of 2022, and it looks like Iraq could be the setting of this future installment. More like this:How Military Video Games Peek Into the Future of the Armed Forces

Will There Be a Black Ops 5?

The chances of a Black Ops 5 title dropping soon, leak or no leak, are extremely high. Under the Call of Duty brand, gamers know that there are multiple storylines within universes that are loosely connected, among other things. For this reason and more, there's no reason to believe that COD: Black Ops 5 won’t be released sometime in the not-so-distant future. Until then, there are always COD 2024 leaks on Reddit.

Leaked COD 2024 Details Imply the Game Is Going to Iraq

Treyarch’s beloved/hated Black Ops 5 is believed to have been leaked after the images were found in COD: Warzone Mobile’s game files. Even going as far as to create a fictional country known as Urzikstan, COD wants your money first and foremost, not to make a political statement, and has worked hard to keep present events with blurry lines of right and wrong out of the franchise. Personal feelings about fighting in Iraq aside, using the wars fought in the country by the U.S. is a breeding ground for controversy both within the United States and abroad. But if the COD 2024 leaked images are to be believed, Black Ops 5 may be taking gamers to the Gulf War. When Iraq invaded Kuwait to gain firmer control of the region’s oil supply in 1990, the U.S. ended up getting involved after Iraqi forces refused to withdraw. This was the beginning of the Gulf War. This war was fought under the Presidency of George H.W. Bush. His son, President George W. Bush, would lead an offensive campaign beginning in 2003 that would create the Iraq War. George W. Bush’s reason for the war was to take Saddam Hussein out of power, secure weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), and establish democracy in the area. This, however, was disputed by many of his critics when WMDs weren’t found and oil conglomerates were able to make money off of the oil trade as a result of the conflict. The amount of Iraqi civilians killed during this time is estimated to be around 197,000, with many estimates showing a number over 200,000. These reasons and more are exactly why tons of controversy will follow if Black Ops 5 heads to Iraq.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 5 Potential Controversies

Let’s just assume that the game footage leaked was, in fact, COD: Black Ops 5 and that the location in question is Iraq. This means people are going to have strong opinions, as they already have. For starters, the questionable circumstances involving the Iraqi War left a bad taste in the mouths of many people, both here and abroad. Fighting in the Middle East, or implying it, hasn’t been an issue for COD or many other titles, but this situation is a bit more dicey. If Black Ops 5 is going to Iraq, it also wouldn’t be the craziest thing ever. American Forces have left the Middle East now, and this could be a reason for the franchise feeling safe portraying war in the area. COD is also no stranger to controversy, as seen in its infamous “No Russian” mission during the campaign mode of Modern Warfare 2. Regardless of what is, isn’t, happens, or doesn’t, COD is generating buzz and keeping its beloved/hated franchise in the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Black Ops 5 Release Date

Many Call of Duty fans think that we're getting Black Ops 5 in 2024 thanks to recent image leaks, and this potential venture to the ‘90s will have plenty of updates from now until it’s released, no matter when that is. COD is a major release virtually every year, and gamers will be sure to keep tabs on the franchise as more develops. Whether or not another COD title comes out in 2023 remains to be seen, but anything's possible when you're working with titles of this magnitude. If Black Ops 5 delivers on the Gulf War, it will be an interesting, mainstream venture into somewhat uncharted territory. Read next:Military Recruitment Marketing: Using Video Games to Recruit Troops