This year’s Call of Duty will be another Modern Warfare game, just one year after 2022’s Modern Warfare 2.
That’s according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who detailed Activision’s next entry in its annual shooter series in a report last night.
This game was originally intended as a “premium expansion” to Modern Warfare 2, but is now being released in a full release, breaking the series’ regular pattern of cycling through its various sub-brands.
Modern Warfare 2-2, or whatever it’s called, is being developed by Sledgehammer Games, who previously helmed 2021’s Call of Duty Vanguard. The studio is also receiving assistance from lead Modern Warfare creator Infinity Ward.
The game is expected to include familiar maps and modes from last year’s effort – raising the question of whether it will end up splitting the userbase between those who have 2-2 and those who don’t.
A continuation of last year’s Modern Warfare 2 story will also be included.
Activision’s decision to release a second premium Modern Warfare game in as many years is an interesting choice for the company, which has already been criticized for releasing Call of Duty games too quickly with too little ongoing support.
Here’s what’s happening with this year’s Call of Duty:
– It’s more Modern Warfare – led by Sledgehammer, overseen by Infinity Ward
– It was originally “premium expansion” but turned into full game
– The current plan is to continue the MW2 story and stream the MW2 content https://t.co/PQGONp8Bks— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) February 23, 2023
Of course, Activision now also has its Warzone 2.0 in the works for revenue – although its numbers dropped after launch.
Bloomberg reported in January 2022 that Activision was considering abandoning Call of Duty’s relentless annual release schedule, which has been in place since 2005.
A month later, Bloomberg claimed that this had indeed been agreed upon, following discontent among Activision executives over the relatively poor sales performance of 2021’s Call of Duty Vanguard.
Activision issued a statement in response to that report, saying it had “an exciting slate of premium and free Call of Duty experiences for this year, next year and beyond”. But it didn’t categorically deny that 2023’s Call of Duty wouldn’t be an entirely new game – and here we are.
Missing all of that is Activision’s other flagship Call of Duty studio, Treyarch. It is expected to release another title under its popular Black Ops sub-brand, slated for 2024.
It’s been a dramatic week for news from Call of Duty maker Activision. Microsoft’s ongoing bid to buy the company for $68.7 billion was the focus of a hearing aimed at softening the deal with reluctant regulators.