"They definitely say Modern Warfare 4": Call of Duty 2019 might have just been leaked by a bunch of football players

Image credit: Activision

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is quickly becoming one of the worst kept secrets of 2019. So far, it's appeared via job listings, digital storefronts, social media teases, and more, but the latest confirmation that Infinity Ward's upcoming instalment in the FPS franchise will be a sequel to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 comes via... American football. Or rather, a bunch of professional football players who recently got the chance to play this year's Call of Duty game behind closed doors. 

Florida State’s Jacques Patrick, University of Georgia’s Riley Ridley, and more attended a private Call of Duty event over the weekend, and though they weren't allowed to say much, pictures and videos have been posted online showing brief snippets of their time with the game. 

One such video is a small clip of Ridley and Patrick playing and talking about the game, and a particularly obsessive fan, after slowing down the speed of the footage, thinks they can hear the pair referring to both "killstreaks" and "Modern Warfare 4." Watch the video below for yourself, and see if you agree. 

Hmm. It's up for debate, but there's definitely a plausible case to be made there. Modern Warfare 4's Reddit page (because of course there's already a Reddit page) have also been closely studying some of the still image from the event, and think they can spot both in-game lobbies and scoreboards of the game spotted in the monitor reflection of the snapshots. 

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Activision usually announce the title and setting of the next Call of Duty game around this time of the year, so we can expect an official reveal within the following few weeks at the latest. There are rumours that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered will also be bundled with 2019's iteration in the franchise, as a PEGI listing for the game recently surfaced online, before being quickly hidden by the ratings board. 

Funnily enough, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was also stealthily announced by an American sports star last year, after NBA player James Harding wore a cap with the game's logo emblazoned across it during the pre-match commentary to a live basketball game. We'll let you know as soon as we hear anything more about Call of Duty 2019, so stay tuned to GamesRadar+ for all the latest news. 

Is Modern Warfare 4 one of the big new games of 2019 yet to be announced? We'll have to wait and see but, in the meantime, watch the video below for a better look at the year in gaming ahead. 

Alex Avard

I'm GamesRadar's Features Writer, which makes me responsible for gracing the internet with as many of my words as possible, including reviews, previews, interviews, and more. Lucky internet!