Call of Duty Planning "Premium Release" for 2023
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 just dropped last month, but Activision is already looking ahead to the future of the franchise. Today the publisher released its third quarter earnings report, in which Activision revealed that it plans to have a "premium release" in the Call of Duty series in 2023. Naturally, no specific details were revealed about the game, or what form it will take, but that should be exciting news for fans of the series!
"Following a three-year period in which Call of Duty reached well over half a billion players and delivered a step change increase in engagement and player investment, these launches mark the start of a new era intended to take the franchise to new heights," the report reads. "Activision is looking forward to building on its current momentum in 2023, with plans for next year including the most robust Call of Duty live operations to date, the next full premium release in the blockbuster annual series, and even more engaging free-to-play experiences across platforms."
That language makes it sound like this will be an entirely new $70 Call of Duty game; however, there seems to be some disagreement on that! In a Twitter exchange with @CharlieIntel, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reiterated his previous reporting that the next full release in the series won't actually come until 2024. Instead, Schreier claims that 2023's "premium release" will be a hefty amount of paid content for Modern Warfare II, developed by Sledgehammer Games. The idea is that it will be "big enough that they can sell it for full price." Meanwhile, Treyarch is reportedly still working on a Call of Duty game for 2024.
Until Activision clarifies the situation, fans will just have to speculate. There has been a lot of debate surrounding Call of Duty's yearly release schedule, and the impact it has on the quality of the series. Many fans wouldn't mind seeing the series take a break from a whole new entry in 2023, so premium content might be ideal. However, that $70 price point might be less appealing!
Are you looking forward to learning more about Activision's plans for 2023? Would you prefer a full release? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!