Activision Blizzard must have done the math and realized that it stands to make more profit if it released a new $70 Call of Duty installment this year, rather than sell gamers on a potentially controversial expensive DLC for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
After Activision confirmed that a new Call of Duty game is coming out later this year, multiple insiders stepped forward to offer their take on the subject. Insider Gaming, in particular, claims that its sources verify that a "fully-fledged Call of Duty 2023 title" is in development.
More importantly, the same report corroborates the reports that Sledgehammer Games is in charge of the new game's development, which would break the usual Call of Duty development cycle (Treyarch is supposed to come after Infinity Ward).
Perhaps the most interesting reveal made by Insider Gaming is the "unconfirmed" game's beta, early access, and release schedules, which are as follows: First beta weekend (PS4 and PS5) - October 6 to October 10 Second beta weekend (All platforms) - October 12 to October 16 Campaign Early Access (All platforms) - November 2 Full Release (All Platforms) - November 10 TLDR; Activision is treating this year's Call of Duty like a new game, complete with a "full marketing strategy consistent with past premium releases" and that it will still be available to play on the PS4 and the Xbox One.