We will be playing a new premium Call of Duty game in 2023. That’s according to Activision in their latest earnings report. Here’s a little piece of what the company had to say about the Call of Duty franchise:
“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.”
About a year ago, a report suggested Call of Duty would skip an annual release in 2023 for the first time since 2004. In November, Activision said their plans for 2023 include the “next full premium release in the blockbuster annual series.” And the publisher reiterated that same stance in this week’s earnings call.
So why the questions around a new game or a premium DLC? Two reasons.
First, Bloomberg’s Jason Scheier stands by his original report that we’re getting more Modern Warfare 2 content this year.
Second, Modern Warfare 2’s end credit scene is an obvious tease for more Modern Warfare 2 content. The words “No Russian” appear at the end of the scene, which is a clear nod to the mission from the original Modern Warfare 2. This time it seems to be reimagined as a plane hijacking.
Activision could get away with charging $60-70 for more Modern Warfare 2 content if it includes another campaign and the usual suite of multiplayer content.
The franchise is bigger than ever, and the Modern Warfare cast of characters is the most popular. So, it makes sense to tap into that again while they give devs more time to give us something new with Call of Duty 2024.
And with Warzone’s popularity, Activision has more incentive to keep the games’ setting as close as possible for as long as possible. Everything from weapon balance to cosmetics should flow better if the game’s setting stays roughly the same.
For now, fans can expect to shell out the usual $60-70 for a new Call of Duty this October/November. And we’ll know precisely what Activision has planned sometime this Summer when they do the usual Call of Duty reveal event.