Call of Duty 2023 might be skipping a year, according to a new report from a credible source.
Since its inception in 2003, that Call of Duty franchise has only skipped one year, 2004. From 2005s Call of Duty 2 to 2021s Call of Duty: Vanguard, a new Call of Duty titles has landed each holiday season like clockwork. It would appear that 2023 will be another gap year.
According toBloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Activision executives are moving to delay the Treyarch developed Call of Duty title due to release in 2023. The decision ultimately came down to the low sales of Call of Duty: Vanguard, which saw a notably high decline from 2020s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The decision was not related to Microsoft’s attempt to purchase Activision. The continued success of Call of Duty: Warzone along with a high concentration of players continuing to play Black Ops Cold War and 2019s Modern Warfare had an outsized impact on this decision.
Activision is working to fill in the gap for next year. This year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare successor will receive a stream of new content beyond the traditional year’s worth. Activision will alsorelease a successor to Call of Duty: Warzonewith Infinity Ward leading development. Treyarch will reportedly assist Infinity Ward with its development alongside the additional year they’re getting to work on their title.
“We have an exciting slate of premium and free-to-play Call of Duty experiences for this year, next year and beyond," wrote an Activision spokesperson in a provided statement. “Reports of anything otherwise are incorrect. We look forward to sharing more details when the time is right.”
As always, be sure to take this with a grain of salt. Activision’s plans may change over the next year with several different factors in play. A rebound in sales for the franchise, confidence in Treyarch’s title, or a Microsoft successfully acquiring the publisher could all alter plans for 2023. We’ll keep you updated as more info comes out.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)’s successor launches this holiday season.
