If there's one thing that's remained constant in the video game industry all these years, it's that a new Call of Duty game will always come out every year. These annual installments are one of the fixtures in gaming. But, the rumors surrounding Microsoft's acquisition of the giant publisher suggest that this will end soon.
According to industry insider, Jason Schreier, Activision is planning to release a DLC for Modern Warfare 2 next year to help fill the gap between Infinity Ward's upcoming Call of Duty game and Treyarch's next turn at the wheel in 2024.
Schreier's reply comes after Activision Blizzard published its Q2 2022 earnings call where it revealed its plans to develop and release "new premium content" for Call of Duty next year. Whereas some took this as a sign that the Call of Duty cycle will continue, Schreier's take is different. If this comes true, this will mark the first time that the Call of Duty franchise will not have a new entry since 2005.
It will be interesting to see how this will affect game sales going forward. After all, without a new Call of Duty game to look forward to every year, the pressure is on Activision and its numerous Call of Duty studios to come up with post-launch content to get players to spend just as much money on an already-existing game as they would if they bought a new one.
For 2023 I'd expect new paid ("premium") content for Modern Warfare 2, not a brand new Call of Duty. Treyarch is leading the next mainline game, which was delayed to 2024, as Bloomberg reported earlier this year. https://t.co/iLQEgbSt5w
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) August 2, 2022
Ultimately, the ball is in Activision's court. The publisher is the only one who knows what's next for Call of Duty.
As for Call of Duty, we found out a couple of interesting things about the marquee shooter franchise this week. For starters, Sony expressed concern now that Microsoft will own Call of Duty. The tech giant described Call of Duty as an "unrivaled" series that could affect the sales of PS5 units if it becomes exclusive to the Xbox. Finally, Activision Blizzard revealed in its earnings call that millions of players have stopped playing Call of Duty.
