So we're taking this story with a pinch - no, a fistful of salt - but it's an exciting one nonetheless. Writer and 'industry insider' Marcus Sellars claims he has insider information on the next Call Of Duty, namely that it's going to be the fourth entry in the Black Ops subseries, it's set in the modern day and will include a Nintendo Switch version.

Said port will include, "HD Rumble and motion controls," and will be ported by a developer, "which is [sic] familar with COD games." As we mentioned, we'd take this unsubstantiated rumour with caution as Sellars has a pretty inconsistent record when it comes to 'predicting' games, but there's still plenty to unpack here.

COD 2018 is Black Ops 4 and is coming to PS4/Xbox/PC/Switch. It is set in the modern times and is boots on the ground. The Switch version will support DLC, HD Rumble and motion controls. The Switch version is also being ported by a company which is familar with COD games. — Marcus Sellars (@Marcus_Sellars) February 4, 2018

The company alluded to on port duties could potentially be Ravensoft, which has worked in a supporting capacity on the COD series since the original Black Ops in 2010. Or it could be Beenox, which was previously rumoured to be working on a Switch port of Call Of Duty: WW2. The HD Rumble seems plausible, and while motion controls bring back horror-filled memories of Modern Warfare 3 on Wii, the tech would work with the far more precise Joy-Cons. Previous rumours have hinted at both a WW2-based entry and another Black Ops so there's potential there too.

However, the abject disaster that was the last time COD was brought to handhelds - Call Of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified on PS Vita - likely still looms in Acti's memory. And if COD really is coming to Switch it'll need to support the full online multiplayer experience, and that's a lot to calibrate for Switch's hardware. If it arrives in November (the usual arrival date for a COD) then it would arrive after the launch of Nintendo Switch's online service so the framework should technically be in place to support it.

That's just our two cents. Let us know what you make of this rumour and whether it really holds any water in 2018...