Call of Duty Is Not Skipping This Year, Will Continue Modern Warfare 2 Story in Standalone Entry: Report

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Call of Duty release in 2023 is reportedly a full game and a continuation of last year’s rebooted sequel Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. As per Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, publisher Activision, who earlier decided against releasing a CoD title this year, has had a change of heart. The company previously planned on getting a “premium expansion” out and has since decided to release an entirely new standalone, full-price title. It’s probably not Modern Warfare 3. Serving as an extension, the idea is to carry over maps and game modes from MW2, albeit the cited sources claimed that “plans may change again between now and the release this fall.”

Activision made headlines last year when it revealed that Call of Duty will be shaking things up by skipping its annual release cycle in 2023 — first time in 20 years — in favour of an “always on” live-service mode. Soon after, reports emerged, suggesting that the marque shooter will receive a premium expansion this year, including a campaign DLC and a map pack, featuring some classics from developer Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games’ catalogue. It seems the plans have now morphed into a full release, with Sledgehammer Games taking on the duty, despite a tight schedule. The studio was previously in charge of Call of Duty: Vanguard, which followed a similar deadline, leading to some staff overtime and eventually underperforming on a critical level.

“This time around, some developers say they’re more optimistic because they are receiving more support from other Activision studios, including Treyarch and Infinity Ward, whose leadership is also supervising the new game,” the report added. Activision generally rotates between the three studios but broke the pattern last year by delaying the planned Treyarch entry from 2023 to 2024, opening the gap. Known for its Black Ops series of games, the developer was planning a two-year life cycle, where the second year would simply see big chunks of new content being released periodically, instead of a new Call of Duty entry. But seeing as Activision awaits its $69 billion (about Rs. 5,71,644) Microsoft buyout to finalise, all long-term plans remain hazy.

Last week, Microsoft signed a ten-year agreement with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to the platform, the “same day as Xbox.” The last time the shooter franchise appeared on a Nintendo device was in 2013 — Call of Duty: Ghosts on the Nintendo Wii U. The company also struck a deal with Nvidia, with the latter hoping to strengthen its cloud-based gaming platform, GeForce Now. Customers would have to pay Nvidia for access to its cloud gaming platform, and Microsoft for its titles.

Earlier this month, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II kickstarted its Ranked Play, which adheres to the same rules set by Call of Duty League (CDL). The mode follows a 4v4 format and features eight new skill divisions, unlocked weapons, and the ability to squad up with other players, in and around your same skill division. The update also promised new cosmetic rewards based on rank, weapon blueprints, and calling cards.