One of the biggest potential stories of 2023 has been the widely reported rumor that Call of Duty would be sitting the year out (at least in terms of releasing a full “premium” title). I say rumor, but the reporting came from the reliable Jason Schreier, was backed by other proven insiders, and wasn’t really refuted by Activision, which issued only half-denials. That said, it seemed plans have been morphing behind the scenes – a few months back, 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).
So, what is actually going on? Well, according to Tom Henderson, who’s had the goods on CoD multiple times in the past, any plans to skip 2023 are now off as a full premium Call of Duty game will be released this year. Henderson has been able to confirm the game’s development will be headed up by Sledgehammer Games (with support from many other Activision studios) and will be a part of the Modern Warfare sub-series. Henderson speculates that the previously-rumored Modern Warfare II expansion has likely been repurposed as a standalone title, although he doesn’t know if it will be presented as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.
This 2023 Call of Duty will offer the full single-player and multiplayer suite, with MP maps being largely recycled from past games. With a full release again in the cards, you can expect the usual PR roll-out, betas, and more. Henderson has provided the following potential dates…
Beta weekend 1 (PS4/PS5) – October 6, 2023 to October 10, 2023
Beta weekend 2 (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S/PC) – October 12 to October 16, 2023
Campaign Early Access (PS4/PS5) – November 2, 2023
Full Release (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S/PC) – November 10, 2023
Of course, take this with a grain of salt for now, but Henderson has had the goods on CoD in the past, and it’s not exactly a shock that Activision is balking at the idea of taking even a brief break from their cash cow.
What are your thoughts? Happy Call of Duty isn’t forsaking 2023? Or were you hoping for a breather?
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