OpTic Gaming were the bane of FaZe Clan’s CWL Anaheim campaign with another crushing series loss on June 16 this time for the right to move on in the Losers Bracket to avoid elimination.
This time it was FaZe Clan who fell in a hotly contested Losers Semis against an OpTic team who were itching to cement their dominance over their opponents after a reverse-sweep in their previous meetup the day before.
OpTic are looking to get back to their winning ways, but had to get through FaZe to start the run.
FaZe and OpTic were trading punches throughout the series
The CWL Vegas Champs have a bigger prize in their sights but they first had to move past a FaZe team who weren’t planning on making any map easy for the Greenwall.
Opening up the series, FaZe came out firing behind young star McArthur ‘Cellium’ Jovel as the team continuously shutdown OpTic’s attempts to enter the Hardpoint on Frequency, losing the match 250-152.
But OpTic came back punching during Search and Destroy in a 6-4 win that looked bleak to start until the Greenwall were able to put up a ripping four-round streak to get all the momentum.
The young gun Dashy is an absolute force on Hardpoint so far at Anaheim.
Speaking of momentum, Gridlock saw both teams trade rounds with big stock leads earned through surging offensive prowess. But OpTic was eventually able to pull away from FaZe to give them their first lead in the series at 2-1.
FaZe were not going quietly into the night, as they tied up the series on Arsenal Hardpoint with a real close 250-223 win against an OpTic team who were eager to close out the Losers Semis.
But that would have to wait one more map as the series moved on to Frequency Search and Destroy where OpTic liked their chances seeing as they were 7-0 since CWL London.
The series was close, up until OpTic turned it on on the final map to thwart FaZe’s hopes of moving on.
Early in the match, it was FaZe who started with an impressive run netting two quick rounds to open the map. But the star-studded lineup of OpTic held their nerve, and used stellar individual talent to go up six rounds in a row to close out the game and series.
OpTic fans were cheering their team on to avoid a repeat from London that saw the Greenwall bow out of championship contention after losing to eUnited in the Losers Bracket.
With their 3-2 win, OpTic move on to the Losers Finals against the loser of the Winners Finals between Gen.G and the 100 Thieves.
It’ll be an uphill battle from here on out for OpTic but if they play like they did against FaZe, a heroic run to the top at Anaheim might not be out of the question.
The ever-popular Call of Dutyseries has remained a staple pick for those looking to show off their quick reflexes and eagle-eyed aim. Whether you enjoy futuristic firefights or prefer the boots on the ground approach, Call of Duty has delivered numerous experiences over the years.
From the brutal battlefields of WWII to present-day conflicts, the series has continually visited and revisited numerous theatres of war with each new entry.
With the next title on the horizon, let’s run through everything we know about CoD 2021.
CoD 2021 release date
Activision / TreyarchBlack Ops Cold War is the latest title to be released.
As of writing, we don’t have an official release date set for Call of Duty 2021. However, that hasn’t stopped us from making an educated guess. By following similar CoD release title trends, it’s fair to speculate that the game will release in early to mid-November.
After all, the previous Call of Duty games all had November releases. Here’s a brief timeline of previous CoD release dates:
Call of Duty 3: November 7, 2006
Modern Warfare: November 7, 2007
World at War: November 11, 2008
Modern Warfare 2: November 10, 2009
Black Ops: November 9, 2010
Modern Warfare 3: November 8, 2011
Black Ops II: November 13, 2012
Ghosts: November 5, 2013
Advanced Warfare: November 4, 2014
Black Ops III: November 6, 2015
Infinite Warfare: November 4, 2016
WWII: November 3, 2017
Black Ops 4: October 12, 2018
Black Ops Cold War: November 13, 2020
While Infinity Ward changed things up with the release of Modern Warfare on October 25, 2019, it is more than likely that CoD 2021 will keep to the usual November schedule.
Call of Duty 2021 developer
Activision / Sledgehammer GamesSledgehammer’s last release was Call of Duty WWII.
So, now that we have an idea of when Call of Duty 2021 could release, who exactly is in charge of developing it? Well, if we take a look at the development cycle of the franchise, we might just get a few clues.
Firstly, the three main studios developing the core Call of Duty games are Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games. Raven Software could be given the reigns, but this is unlikely, especially given they mainly focus on assisting each studio.
Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software were tasked with releasing the next CoD game in 2020, but disagreements between the two arose, leading Treyarch to take the lead role. Sledgehammer’s title was then developed into Black Ops Cold War.
Quite how much of the project was reworked into Cold War remains to be seen, but it does seem likely that Sledgehammer Games would use this time to begin working on another title. If this wasn’t evident enough, last year, Sledgehammer reportedly hired 150 new staff and stated that they were actively working on multiple projects.
Combine this with the fact that Infinity Ward has only just wrapped up development on Modern Warfare and Treyarch is still busy working on content for Black Ops Cold War – and you have a pretty strong case.
Call of Duty 2021 rumors
Activision / Sledgehammer Games Could a prequel to Advanced Warfare be in the works?
There have been a lot of rumors surrounding Call of Duty 2021, with many fans speculating that the Sledgehammer could be making another entry in the Advanced Warfare series. However, renowned Call of Duty leaker, Tom Henderson believes that if that is the case, the game will be a prequel.
“Warzone is going to have a Sledgehammer Games integration,” says Henderson. The whole purpose of Warzone is to convert free-to-play players into paid players by purchasing whichever title is integrated at the time. I just can’t see an EM1 laser rifle being in Warzone, it just doesn’t make sense to me.”
This would be a jarring experience, particularly given Warzone’s arsenal currently utilizes real-world weaponry. Having highly futuristic guns could also upset the current balance of the game as well, an area Activision is constantly aiming to control.
“Maybe we could see a Call of Duty WWII title, possibly like WWII but maybe a prequel or sequel. It would make a lot more sense for the weapons to be integrated into Warzone. It could be a modern or even a future title, but not set too far into the future where it wouldn’t make sense for the Warzone integration.”
As for Call of Duty 2021 leaks, there has been no footage, screenshots, or box art showcasing the new title. Of course, you can expect to see the usual photoshopped images, blurry box art, fake emails, and rickrolls that come with every new Call of Duty release.