For months it was widely reported that Call of Duty would be sitting 2023 out (at least in terms of releasing a full “premium” title). Activision didn’t deny any of the reporting, but it seems plans have changed. First, it was reported Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II would be getting a major paid expansion in 2023, and in their most recent earnings report Activision Blizzard stated Call of Duty would get a “full annual premium release” in 2023 (phrasing they hadn’t used in previous reports). Various insiders have since confirmed that Activision has course corrected and a new core Call of Duty from Sledgehammer Games is indeed coming in 2023.
So, what form will this year’s Call of Duty take? Well, according to reliable insider Jason Schreier, the next Call of Duty will be an extension of Modern Warfare II. As you’ve likely already logically concluded, this year’s game began as the aforementioned Modern Warfare II expansion and has since been rescoped as a full standalone release. That may sound concerning, but according to Schreier, the expansion was always going to be quite meaty, with a new story campaign, multiplayer maps and content, and more. Content from Modern Warfare II (multiplayer maps, operators, ect.) is also said to carry over, so the new game will have a solid base to build on. That said, despite being a continuation of Modern Warfare II, this new game likely won’t be packaged as Modern Warfare III.
Per Schreier, there is some anxiety within Sledgehammer Games, as they haven’t been given a lot of time to make this new Call of Duty – only two years, which is very brief by modern AAA development standards. 2021’s Call of Duty: Vanguard was also developed by Sledgehammer in only two years, and it was criticized for an underbaked campaign and a lack of content. Fortunately, Sledgehammer is getting more help for this year’s CoD, with Infinity Ward supervising the game’s production and Treyarch also pitching in.
Of course, take this with a grain of salt for now. Schreier almost always has the goods, but plans can change. Call of Duty, and questions over whether it will remain multi-platform, have been at the center of regulatory hearings and legal action regarding Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. You can get more details on that story here.
What do you think? Will you be plunking down your $70 for this year’s Call of Duty as usual? Or is this Modern Warfare II extension not going to cut it?
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