It looks like 2023’s Call of Duty game might be delayed until the following year in 2024. This would be the first time since 2004 that a year would go by without a new mainline Call of Duty title. A new entry has been added on an annual basis since 2005’s Call of Duty 2.
As reported by Bloomberg, Activision Blizzard is delaying 2023’s Call of Duty in hopes to further polish the game before its launch. Microsoft plans to continue developing Activision franchises for competing console platforms, likely meaning we’ll be seeing this new Call of Duty launch for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. If Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes through, the Call of Duty series could even be heading to Nintendo Switch.
The Bloomberg report also says Activision Blizzard is pushing this Call of Duty’s release farther out because of the recent game failing to meet expectations. No exact game was listed, but both Vanguard and Warzone underperformed in 2021 in comparison to Black Ops Cold War and Warzone in 2020.
The report goes on to say to Treyarch will assist in developing an upcoming, yet-to-be-announced free-to-play online game. That game will release in 2023, filling the missing annual mainline Call of Duty slot.
Bloomberg also recently reported that three Call of Duty games are currently in development. Two of those have already been officially confirmed: Call of Duty: Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2. The third unannounced game is the one that is being delayed.
