The gameplay of a canceled Call of Duty project, codenamed NX1, has surfaced online, revealing efforts by former Guitar Hero developer Neversoft to create a futuristic game in the franchise.
The leaked footage, shared by Twitter account @mangafigurines (via IGN), showcased an explosive moon mission in low gravity conditions for a game reportedly named Call of Duty: Future Warfare.
That's all folks 🤠 pic.twitter.com/7TOg7JgdjE
— Josh H. (@mangafigurines) January 29, 2024
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Brian Bright, the multiplayer lead on the project, confirmed the authenticity of the footage, explaining that Neversoft transitioned from the Guitar Hero franchise to develop their own futuristic Call of Duty game after the departure of Infinity Ward co-founders in 2010.
The canceled NX1 project aimed to replace Infinity Ward's Ghosts, featuring a moon mission and some completed campaign missions and multiplayer work.
Moreover, Bright mentioned that Neversoft faced challenges as they didn't have a substantial art team during multiplayer development, using assets from Modern Warfare 2 for the Sandstorm map and Escort mode.
Additional leaked footage revealed a canceled War mode for Treyarch's Black Ops 4 in 2018, mirroring the team-based variant from WWII.
These revelations suggest that Call of Duty could have taken a different direction in the last generation if Neversoft had successfully released its own mainline game, potentially altering the trajectory of the franchise's move into futuristic warfare.
However, Neversoft was eventually absorbed by Infinity Ward in 2014, forming a "super studio," and the NX1 project became a footnote in video game history.
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