A Glimpse into the Past: Neversoft’s Abandoned Call of Duty Game ‘Future Warfare’
Two-minute gameplay footage of Neversoft’s abandoned Call of Duty game, ‘Future Warfare’, has recently surfaced online, giving fans a tantalizing glimpse into what could have been more than a decade ago. The game, also known as ‘NX1’, was conceived as a result of Neversoft’s shift from developing Guitar Hero games, according to industry veteran Brian Bright on Twitter.
A Mix of Futuristic and Ground Combat
The leaked clip showcases an early game build from 2011, featuring a mission set on the Moon. From the content shown, it appears that ‘Future Warfare’ would have offered a blend of futuristic and ‘boots-on-the-ground’ combat. Additionally, the game was set to include remastered maps from classic Call of Duty titles, adding a nostalgic twist for fans of the franchise.
Neversoft: A Gaming Icon
Neversoft, founded in 1994, gained widespread recognition for its iconic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series and later, the Guitar Hero franchise. In its later years, the company collaborated on several Call of Duty titles before being absorbed into Infinity Ward by Activision. ‘Future Warfare’ was initially intended to be Neversoft’s very own addition to the Call of Duty lineup, but unfortunately, it never came to fruition.
A Glimpse at Neversoft’s Vision
The recently leaked gameplay footage offers a rare peek into Neversoft’s ambitious plans for ‘Future Warfare’. In the video, a soldier is seen desperately fleeing from an impending attack on a lunar base. The footage showcases a mission list and impressive visuals that hint at a well-polished game in its early stages of development.
A Learning Experience
According to Brian Bright’s comment on the video, the moon mission served as a learning experience for the team, allowing them to experiment with features like low gravity. He also disclosed that ‘Future Warfare’ was originally intended to replace ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’, and by the time the project was scrapped, Neversoft had already developed a significant amount of campaign missions and multiplayer content.
What Could Have Been: Multiplayer Maps
Details about ‘Future Warfare’ continue to emerge, with one comment revealing a reported list of multiplayer maps that were in the works. The list includes fan-favorite maps such as ‘Legacy Afghan’, ‘Legacy Crash’, ‘Legacy Terminal’, ‘Bin Laden’s Compound’, ‘Gladiator Assault’, ‘Merc Mode Map’, and ‘BENK’. These maps would have undoubtedly delighted Call of Duty enthusiasts had the game seen the light of day.
An Uncanny Resemblance
Ironically, despite ‘Future Warfare’ being abandoned, Infinity Ward went on to develop ‘Infinite Warfare’ in 2016, which bore striking similarities to Neversoft’s original concept. Perhaps, the ideas and designs from ‘Future Warfare’ lived on through the development of ‘Infinite Warfare’, giving fans a taste of what could have been.
Analyst comment
Neutral news.
As an analyst, the leaked gameplay footage of Neversoft’s abandoned Call of Duty game ‘Future Warfare’ offers insights into the company’s ambitious plans and the potential for a blend of futuristic and “boots-on-the-ground” combat. However, since the game was ultimately abandoned, it is unlikely to have any significant impact on the market.
