Changes are coming to the Call of Duty franchise’s upcoming release in 2023, and players will remain settled in the modern era.
In a new report from Bloomberg, Activision has modified its annual Call of Duty release schedule plans. Shifting away from a planned expansion for Modern Warfare, reports now state that it will move towards another full game set in the Modern era, to be developed by Sledgehammer Games. Previous reports last year stated that plans for Call of Duty in 2023 would be an experimental phase for the franchise, focusing on a high-end expansion for last year’s Modern Warfare 2, which is apparently scaled up for a full release.
Though no official details are out as of this time, the Bloomberg report stated that the game would focus on a continuation of Modern Warfare 2 and its systems, but it will not be Modern Warfare 3. Sledgehammer Games, the developers behind Call of Duty: Vanguard, will be heading up the game’s development, with support coming from other Activision studios, including Infinity Ward and Treyarch.
According to previous reports, the original plan for COD 2023 was to maintain growth and support for Modern Warfare 2, which is now the fastest-selling game to hit $1 billion in franchise history. In the Bloomberg report, this shift has caused concerns among the development team at Sledgehammer Games. However, anonymous staff has stated that Activision is putting significant resources toward the new game to ensure its release in 2023.
A change of direction for Call of Duty
Traditionally, Call of Duty games would switch off between different installments made by alternating teams; the Modern Warfare series from Infinity Ward, the Black Ops series from Treyarch, and different variations and experimental games from Sledgehammer Games. However, recent years have seen the franchise go through some growing pains, with some developers having to ship games sooner than expected or having more time than expected.
With the growing reports about the development of the COD 2023, and the looming Activision/Microsoft merger still in litigation, this year will likely see the franchise in its most unusual spot. Still, the franchise will continue on as planned.
Furthermore, Activision has also pledged to release future COD games on the Nintendo Switch and Nvidia’s games streaming service.
Alessandro Fillari is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @afillari.