Activision recently announced that a full Call of Duty game will be released this year. Now, the latest details for the still-unconfirmed installment reveal that it will be a continuation of the best-selling Modern Warfare 2’s story.
Many fans expected this year’s title to be a part of the Black Ops subseries given that last year’s game was from Modern Warfare. However, a new report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier claims that it will be made by Sledgehammer Games and continue on the campaign from Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.
This new report corroborates the news that the Call of Duty title being developed by Treyarch would be delayed to make way for Sledgehammer Games' title this year.
Activision typically cycles between different subseries for Call of Duty made by alternating teams. Infinity Ward develops the Modern Warfare titles, while Treyarch makes the Black Ops subseries games. Sledgehammer Games is responsible for experimental games and other different titles for Call of Duty.
Call of Duty 2023 was initially planned as a "premium expansion" expansion for Modern Warfare 2. However, it has evolved into a full-fledged game with single-player and multiplayer content.
This year’s Call of Duty title will reportedly carry over the maps and modes from Modern Warfare 2. However, Activision may have another change of heart and add new modes later on.
This new development may be concerning for employees due to the extremely shortened release schedule. Call of Duty: Vanguard had a similarly shortened release schedule and received mixed to negative reactions from players and critics. It will be interesting to see how Sledgehammer Games pulls off turning a planned expansion into a full game.
Activision has been quick to dispel rumors that it will be skipping a full Call of Duty release this year. It was also Schreier who reported last year that Activision plans on dropping an expansion for 2023.
"Across the Call of Duty franchise, our teams are working to amplify the success of the fourth quarter, with 2023 plans including even more engaging live services across platforms and the next full annual premium release in the blockbuster series," Activision said in its financial reports.
The Call of Duty series may be in a peculiar spot given that it has been at the center of the investigation of the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger. Activision recently finalized a legally binding agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo consoles.
The company also revealed that Sony has not yet accepted its offer for a ten-year deal. As it stands, the current agreement between Activision and Sony will expire in 2024 which means that PlayStation owners will still get two more Call of Duty entries.
