Verizon DROID Combat: Herald Of A Hardcore Phone

This week the group behind Verizon's DROID brand have released a trailer for a game that's already been out on the market in BETA form: D:COM. This game is suggested to be coming in as a Verizon-exclusive title in the near future: augmented reality robot combat and all. What's not as clear is the idea that this release might be a sign of an upcoming (and relatively unexpected) smartphone.

What we've seen in the past from Verizon's DROID lineup is a large number of Motorola devices, a Samsung device, and an HTC device most recently with the DROID DNA. Just yesterday we explored the idea that the next release (also teased yesterday) could be an LG machine. Now we're thinking differently.

What's a bit more likely – and what we've been tipped anonymously – is that this release could be pushed beside the second generation Casio G'zOne Commando released all the way back in 2011. This next-generation reboot has appeared more than once in the past few weeks with Verizon's 4G LTE network branding onboard.

Now with the DROID brand-name attached, could Casio finally find their way into the mainstream smartphone market? How about if Verizon attaches the D:COM game to it as a limited-time exclusive?

And what about Verizon's legacy of offering up DROID devices with high-end specifications? Casio's last release was mid-tier even back when it was first introduced. Will the team take notes from the little-known Caterpillar B15 before it's finalized? Or is it time the DROID lineup hits the entry-level market?

Also of note is the oddity – pointed out by David Ruddock of Android Police – that is the appearance of the name "Kellex", that being the nick-name of the founder of the blog Droid-Life – and it was Droid-Life that was one of (if not the) first outlet to report the first sign of life from the Droid promo Twitter account. Sound like a cross-promotion to you?

If you'd like to have a peek at the APK of the D:COM game, you can also do so at your own risk by heading over to Android Community and following the links. We've found the game to be inoperable on all devices thus far – including the DROID RAZR HD, mind you, so don't expect anything too grand.

BONUS: The developer group behind D:COM also created an AR game called "Droid Bionic ARena" for the DROID BIONIC back when it was released – there allowing people to potentially nab a phone for themselves. Could we be seeing some sort of combat-based competition for the DROID COMBAT this time around?