Activision has confirmed Call of Duty is getting a new game in 2023, but an insider has hinted that the devil could well be in the detail.
The project was confirmed to be in existence on November 7, with Activisions latest financial release referencing a premium CoD title coming in the next 12 months.
It said: “Activision is looking forward to building on its current momentum in 2023,” referencing the fact MW2 become the leading entertainment release for sales in 2022. It topped $800 million in revenue after only three days on the market, making it the fastest-selling title they have ever launched.
The financial statement continued… “With plans for next year including the most robust Call of Duty live operations to date, the next full premium release in the blockbuster annual series, and even more engaging free-to-play experiences across platforms.”
This comes contrary to speculation that there would not be a Call of Duty mainline game in the pipeline.
CoD 2023 details revealed by insider
Charlie Intel, a leading Call of Duty news source and Dexerto sister site, posted about Activision’s upcoming projects on Twitter.
In the replies, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier threw a spanner in the works, suggesting that all was not what it seemed.
They said: “It’s a continuation of Modern Warfare II.
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“It’s called a full premium release because they’re probably going to market and sell it as a $70 game with new single- and multiplayer content. But it’s more MWII.”
Man lol you keep falling for the same PR language. It's a continuation of Modern Warfare II. It's called a full premium release because they're probably going to market and sell it as a $70 game with new single- and multiplayer content. But it's more MWII
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 7, 2022
Journalist Cade Onder probed Schreier about the project, asking if it will be something along the lines of a ‘Game of the Year’ edition.
He replied: “No, it’s like an expansion but big enough that they can sell it for full price.”
No, it's like an expansion but big enough that they can sell it for full price
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 7, 2022
In another post, the reporter said Sledgehammer Games will be the developer of the premium expansion, ending on “but it’s more Modern Warfare 2.”
Let me make this super clear:– The next game, by Treyarch, is coming out in 2024 – Next year there will be a Modern Warfare II "premium" (paid) expansion by Sledgehammer– It's supposed to have lots of content! Maybe that's why they call it a "full" release. But it's more MWII https://t.co/jXKAiMFcTf
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 7, 2022
The unlikely twist there, of course, is that the Modern Warfare series has traditionally just been developed by Infinity Ward. It is also unclear as to whether there will be a name change, to reflect that, but just with similar gameplay.
The studio did, however, work on Vanguard, World War II, and Advanced Warfare.
While references made toward the next game in a blockbuster series could be perceived as more of the same from Activision – and a new game possibly coming – this inside information certainly muddies the water for now.