Leak Revealed Original Call of Duty: Black Ops Could Have Been Titled Cold Warriors

The original Call of Duty: Black Ops, released in 2010 by Treyarch, became one of the series' most significant and profitable entries, helping push the franchise toward the major franchise it is today. As it turned out, the game originally had a different title, as well as a different interface design, and some story elements that were later cut—makes you wonder how the game, and its impact, might've turned out otherwise.

As uncovered by ForwardLeaks, 16 years after Black Ops was released, previously unnoticed files have surfaced in the Nintendo DS version of the game. Among the key finds, it has been revealed that the game was originally titled Call of Duty: Cold Warriors. Moreover, early interface designs, covers, and concept arts that also come to light can be checked out below:

Solved: Call of Duty Black Ops 1 was initially going to be called Cold Warriors before being changed during development.

Here’s some early images of the main menu and UI before they changed it. These are extremely rare from what I understand.

Since the original Black Ops launched in 2010, the series has received six new entries over the past 16 years. Some sequels have even topped the original in success—Black Ops 2, in particular—but most haven't quite reached those heights. Last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, for instance, became the lowest-rated entry in the series by user reviews, having just 1.7 on Metacritic. Critics weren't much more impressed either, giving it a score of 65.

This year, Infinity Ward will release the new Call of Duty title, Modern Warfare 4, launching October 23 on PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2. A film based on the franchise is also in the works, directed by Peter Berg, who's confirmed the film will be set within the Modern Warfare universe —though it's still unclear whether that means the original trilogy or the 2019 soft reboot.

As for the Black Ops franchise, given how strong the brand's recognition still is, it's probably just a matter of time before a new entry will be announced, though Activision hasn't given any official comments on that front yet.