With Activision in a whole ocean of hot water, Call of Duty: Vanguard and Sledgehammer Games appear to be steadily distancing themselves from the franchise publisher.
With California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing’s high-profile lawsuit against Activision Blizzard still ongoing, people have started to notice that Actiivison’s name isn’t quite where it should be, namely, all over the latest Call of Duty.
In the reveal trailer, as well as the recent Gamescom 2021 Opening Night Live trailer, Activision’s name has been suspiciously and surprisingly absent, almost as if they don’t want us to associate their latest big-budget release with the toxic frat-boy culture that’s described in the lawsuit.
On top of the omissions from trailers, Activision’s name has also reportedly been pulled from the ongoing alpha, which could indicate that their name might not be there when the game officially releases this November.
Whether you see this move as a benevolent choice from Sledgehammer Games or a clever business decision, it’s important to remember that Activision Blizzard is no less involved in Call of Duty: Vanguard, even if their names are not plastered all over it.
They’ll still be raking in the majority of the profits from Call of Duty: Vanguard and the game will still only be available on PC via Blizzards Battle.net launcher, so there’s no escaping their presence if you buy the game.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is due to release on November 5th for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on Battle.net.