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.

Jason Schreier added more info about the situation, revealing that Activision pushed back Treyarch's new Call of Duty game to next year and chose to "fill in the blanks" with Sledgehammer's game that started life as a premium DLC for last year's Modern Warfare 2.

It's not unusual for companies to turn DLCs into full games. A good example of this is the incoming Nintendo exclusive, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild started as an expansion before becoming its own game. However, several years of planning and development separate Tears of the Kingdom and Sledgehammer Games' Call of Duty title. This brings into question the quality of Call of Duty 2023 after Activision decided to "frame it as a full release", especially after Call of Duty: Vanguard.

The combination of following up Modern Warfare 2, which set a new franchise record, and the lackluster performance of Vanguard, makes Call of Duty 2023 quite the interesting release.

On top of all of this, Activision Blizzard is dealing with opposition from the FTC, EU, and CMA, regarding Microsoft and its attempt to buy the company for $68.7 million. The last we heard, the CMA is suggesting that Call of Duty be excluded from the deal to get approval.