CoD Vanguard internal alpha ‘Slipstream’ appears on Battle.net

Liam Mackay
CoD Vanguard internal alpha slipstream

Call of Duty: Vanguard appears to be undergoing testing at Activision, as the internal alpha has appeared on Battle.net under the codename ‘Slipstream.’

With Call of Duty now revealing the latest titles later in the year than before, we’re still waiting on any official news regarding CoD 2021. Confirmed to be developed by Sledgehammer Games, we’ve heard that it will be called ‘Call of Duty: Vanguard,’ set in the Second World War, and may release with its own Pacific-themed WWII Warzone map.

Although the game hasn’t been officially revealed, we appear to be getting closer, as the internal alpha has reportedly appeared on Battle.net, codenamed ‘Slipstream’ or ‘Fore.’

Thanks to BlizzTrack, it appears that Call of Duty: Vanguard is now undergoing testing at Activision with the internal alpha reportedly appearing on Battle.net. This is a version of the game specifically for the developers, and cannot be accessed by the public.

In order to prevent leaks, Sledgehammer have avoided the name ‘Vanguard’ and codenamed the alpha build ‘Fore’ with artwork detailing ‘Slipstream.’

Activision usually do this, with Black Ops Cold War’s internal alpha appearing as ‘The Red Door’ on consoles. The Red Door ties into both Cold War’s campaign and now Warzone, but there’s no guarantee that ‘Slipstream’ has anything to do with Vanguard’s plot.

‘Slipstream’ was a 2008 BBC Radio Drama set during the Second World War, where Germany gets hold of a powerful new aircraft that is believed to be extra-terrestrial. Of course, there’s no way of knowing if there’s any relation between this and Call of Duty.

‘Fore’ could also relate to the name ‘Vanguard.’ The vanguard is the leading part of a military formation, and ‘fore’ is how you’d describe something that comes first. Again, it’s all speculation at this point, but it’s promising to know that CoD 2021 may have hit a significant stage in its development.

As any more news surrounding Call of Duty: Vanguard is revealed, we’ll be the first to let you know.

Image Credit: Activision / @Helba_The_AI

About The Author

Liam is CharlieIntel's Editor who focuses on Call of Duty but also plays lots of fantasy RPGs or anything else in his massive gaming backlog. After graduating in Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University, Liam freelanced in games journalism before joining CharlieIntel in November 2020. You can contact Liam at [email protected].