Activision Blizzard has seemingly taken the opportunity to give up-and-coming NBA pros a sneak peek into its next Call of Duty title, taking advantage of the fact that many of the NBA’s younger players are gathered in Las Vegas for the NBA 2K24 Summer League.
Over the weekend, several NBA players claim to have seen a demo for Call of Duty 2023. Activision Blizzard is reportedly in Las Vegas and held an event for young NBA players to try out the upcoming title.
Several images of the event have been shared on social media platforms including Instagram and Twitter. The images show NBA players sitting in front of a screen and playing the game. Curiously, a PS5 console was reportedly used at the event. It’s unclear if the pro players were allowed to share the images on social media, but the logo can be seen in many of the photos.
Call of Duty insider CharlieINTEL later suggested that players didn’t get to play the newest title but were shown a demo of Call of Duty 2023. CharlieIntel later shared an image of a participant at the event playing Call of Duty: Warzone.
Here’s an image — they’re being shown a demo of COD 2023, but only playing Warzone pic.twitter.com/DU9WcZR2dp
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) July 9, 2023
What we know about Call of Duty 2023
Previous leaks suggest that this year’s Call of Duty entry will be named Modern Warfare 3 and will be a sequel to the most recent game. The development of the upcoming title is reportedly being handled by Sledgehammer Games and is being supervised by Infinity Ward.
According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Activision wants the next title to feel like “the next full premium release” instead of a premium expansion as originally planned.
Maps and modes from Modern Warfare 2 will reportedly carry over to the sequel. However, insiders have cautioned players as Activision Blizzard may change its plans from now until the game is released.
Fans expect Activision Blizzard to announce the game in the next two months. There are rumors that the publisher will be revealing Call of Duty 2023 at the beginning of August as part of an event. The reveal trailer for Modern Warfare 2 was officially released in June 2022.
Call of Duty, especially Warzone, has seen a significant drop in its player base since the release of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2. Players are not happy with the changes to the game especially with regards to movement, time to kill, and the removal of slide canceling.
Hopefully, Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward takes into account the feedback from the community and implement changes to the upcoming installment. Many Call of Duty players are moving to other FPS games including Xdefiant and Battlebit Remastered after last year’s release.
