Is Call of Duty: Vanguard Part of the Black Ops Universe? Analyzing Campaign, Zombies, and Warzone Ties
Call of Duty: Vanguard launched in late 2021 as the latest entry in Activision‘s massively popular first-person shooter franchise. With so many past games and complex storylines weaving the series together, a common question asked is: does Vanguard fit into the existing Black Ops universe?
The answer isn‘t a straightforward yes or no – while Vanguard itself depicts events from World War 2 separate from Black Ops‘ Cold War backdrop, shared elements connect these worlds behind the scenes.
Let‘s analyze the campaign, zombies mode, Warzone connections, and future implications to better understand Vanguard‘s place across Call of Duty lore.
Breaking Down Vanguard‘s Story Campaign and Time Period
Vanguard focuses on telling a fictionalized take on real-world battles during World War II, shining light on covert international special forces origins. Viewed through the lens of several allied soldiers on front lines around the globe.
This grounds the setting firmly from 1941-1945, contrasting sharply against the 1960s Cold War era depicted in titles like Black Ops and Black Ops Cold War. Based on time period alone, Vanguard does not seem to fit as a direct prequel or sequel.
However, the lens of Call of Duty: Warzone blurs these lines, acting as a crossover hub that connects multiple COD worlds and characters through its live service model.
Vanguard Zombies Extends the Dark Aether Storyline
Where Vanguard clearly intersects with the Black Ops universe is through its Zombies cooperative mode. Vanguard Zombies continues the Dark Aether narrative first introduced in Black Ops Cold War, moving the story forward with new chapters.
Familiar characters like Krafft and Grey return, depicting supernatural events influenced by WWII battles erupting around them. So while Vanguard as a whole is firmly WWII focused, its zombies campaign helps bridge gaps in the Black Ops universe through shared plot lines and adversaries.
Warzone Plays a Key Role Tying Multiple COD Timelines Together
As mentioned earlier, Call of Duty: Warzone has become the glue binding different COD sub-series together despite their disparate settings and characters.
Through its ever-evolving map and frequent content updates, Warzone allows playable Operators, weapons, and other elements from Vanguard, Black Ops, Modern Warfare, and beyond to co-exist simultaneously.
This will likely allow Activision to tell an overarching Call of Duty tale across multiple connected eras, with Warzone as the narrative anchor at its core.
Vanguard Sets the Stage for Sledgehammer‘s Shared Call of Duty Vision
While concrete details on future titles remain tightly guarded intel, there are intriguing clues on how Vanguard and Sledgehammer Games could evolve. Comments from studio heads and job listings indicate a shift toward "games as a service” live ops experiences.
With Warzone‘s success, it‘s easy to envision Vanguard as Sledgehammer‘s first step toward an integrated Call of Duty platform featuring interconnected campaigns, co-op experiences, competitive multiplayer and more.
If executed successfully, this could strengthen Vanguard‘s ties to Black Ops and other sub-series through persistent gameplay and canon narrative threads.
Only time will tell, but Vanguard‘s development and post-launch support suggest closer COD alignments ahead as Warzone aims to harmonize world building across Activision‘s crown franchise.
