Treyarch has brushed off speculation that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will depict the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

Rumors that the 9/11 attacks would be portrayed began whispering shortly after Activision began teasing Black Ops 6. In particular, the pre-release live-action trailer focused heavily on prominent political leaders of the 1990s, including George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, and perhaps most famously, Saddam Hussein.

Historically, it doesn't really fit, since the Gulf War preceded the attack by a full decade, but there are enough relevant organizations between 1990 and 2001 (and, let's be honest, to this day) to make its existence a possible "big moment" in the No-Russia formula.

Asked about it during Sunday's Q&A session, Treyarch confirmed that it would not happen. 'It's a rumor,' said Yale Miller, Treyarch's production director. It's a rumor."

"Black Ops 6, like all Black Ops games, is purely fictional," added Associate Design Director Matt Sklons, explaining that the series has "historical touchpoints" to give context to the game, but it is not directly taken from history He explained that they are not.

"In true black ops style, it's not about what's going on here, it's 'the stock market is crazy and everything is great. It's about black ops, the team, what's going on underground and behind the scenes, and what no one is really telling the truth about. But always, it's pure fiction."

Emphasizing the fictional nature of the story, Miller said that while the Gulf War will be "part of it," it will not only be based on reality, but much more. He said, "There will be conflicts within the U.S., there will be different [events] in the man-made city of Avalon. There are many different places to go.

Like the Gulf War, there is no doubt that 9/11 will someday become video game fodder: given the fake historical setting of Black Ops 6 and the additional years stacked into an acceptable buffer, Black Ops 7, or whatever it is called I would not be the least bit surprised if the events come to occupy a significant place. For Black Ops 6, though, it's still a little too early to tell.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is due out on October 24, and yes, it will be on Steam.