Call of Duty 2023 Delayed; First Annual Skip in 18 Years
We never thought we’d see the day, but in 2023, there will be no new Call of Duty games released. Since 2005 and the launch of Call of Duty 2, there has been a fresh COD title for fans to enjoy every single year, with the most recent being Call of Duty Vanguard (2021). However, while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will launch in 2022 as planned, Call of Duty 2023, developed by Treyarch, will now be released late in 2024.
This means that there will be a two-year gap between Call of Duty titles – but is that really a bad thing? In the near future, we’re seeing the launch of an all-new Modern Warfare experience, and the release of ‘Warzone 2’. That should be more than enough to keep fans entertained, and for the most part, this news comes as a relief to the industry. For several years, Call of Duty has been an annual staple, dominating sales charts across the board. Now that Call of Duty 2023 is delayed, it’ll have an impact on the industry in several ways.
Let’s explore the future of Call of Duty.
For The First Time in a Long Time
It may come as a result of the recent Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but there’s no real way of knowing. For now, the underlying cause is being kept close to Activision’s chest, and all we know is that Call of Duty 2023 is no more. However, some unconfirmed reports suggest that company executives were displeased with Call of Duty Vanguard’s performance, and finally, they recognised that maybe they were introducing new iterations of Call of Duty too quickly.
With that being said, a spokesperson for Activision explained that the landscape won’t dry up anytime soon:
We have an exciting slate of premium and free-to-play Call of Duty experiences for this year, next year, and beyond. We look forward to sharing more details when the time is right.
Unfortunately, it seems that Call of Duty Warzone, along with its free-to-play appeal, has stripped the core multiplayer offering of its fanbase. Although to answer that ongoing demand, Activision will bring a fresh Warzone experience to platforms next year.
That Modern Warfare Feeling
In 2019, Modern Warfare, the legendary, iconic Call of Duty subfranchise, was rebooted. It was an overwhelming success, with the title being one of the best-selling Call of Duty titles in years. It offered a refreshed competitive platform and drew in tens of millions of users with ease. It was also the foundation of Call of Duty Warzone, arguably the best battle royale game to ever exist. While Call of Duty 2023 isn’t a thing anymore, fans are rocking in anticipation of a great Modern Warfare experience in 2022.
Should Modern Warfare 2 prove to be a great success, it’ll become the competitive platform of choice for the Call of Duty League for a two-year window. This has never happened in the history of Call of Duty esports, and that in itself is monumental. It’ll also enable a true ‘current-gen’ experience to exist for the next Treyarch game, which will now release in 2024, and fans will likely receive it with open arms.
Could this be the operating model for Call of Duty from here on out? Let’s hope so.
