Join the GI Every day right here to get the largest information straight to your inbox
Replace: An Activision Blizzard spokesperson has reached out to stress it has beforehand confirmed a premium Name of Responsibility launch for 2023. The article has been amended to mirror this.
Activision Blizzard will reportedly launch a follow-up to 2022’s Name of Responsibility: Trendy Warfare later in 2023, following reviews that it was delaying the following non-MW entry within the sequence to 2024.
It was reported again in February 2022 that there could be no Name of Responsibility title this yr whereas Activision Blizzard took time to rethink its strategy to the sequence.
However Activision Blizzard has mentioned in its final two earnings releases that there’ll nonetheless be a premium launch, anticipated to land within the normal autumn window.
Sources have advised Bloomberg this yr’s sport might be a continuation of final yr’s Trendy Warfare 2 (though it should apparently not be named Trendy Warfare 3).
Whereas it restores the franchise’s sample of annual releases – this yr would have been the primary yr since 2005 with no new Name of Responsibility – it breaks the sequence custom of alternating between sub-brands comparable to Trendy Warfare and Black Ops.
Bloomberg’s sources say the 2023 sport initially started as an enlargement to Trendy Warfare 2, however has since been spun out to really feel like a standalone, full-price launch.
The plan is for the brand new title to hold over multiplayer maps and modes from the 2022 launch, though this may occasionally change earlier than launch.
The 2023 title might be developed by Sledgehammer Video games. Beforehand, solely Infinity Ward has developed Trendy Warfare video games.
The subsequent sport by Treyarch, the third studio that handles the majority of Name of Responsibility improvement remains to be on the right track for 2024, following the reported delay from final yr.
Whereas 2021’s Name of Responsibility Vanguard underperformed, prompting Activision’s determination to push again the Treyarch sport, Trendy Warfare 2 was the largest promoting sport of 2022 and the largest launch within the sequence’ historical past – the quickest entry to succeed in $1 billion.
Vanguard was additionally developed by Sledgehammer beneath a decent schedule, which led to a troublesome run of additional time for some workers. Bloomberg’s sources say present and former staff of Sledgehammer are frightened Name of Responsibility 2023 might be on the same schedule, with lower than two years of improvement time in complete.
GamesIndustry.biz’s Chris Dring beforehand highlighted the potential lack of a full Name of Responsibility as a motive to be conscious concerning the general video games market’s efficiency.
Name of Responsibility and FIFA are constantly the 2 biggest-selling video games of the yr. It was beforehand anticipated there could be no Name of Responsibility in 2023, and FIFA is present process a rebranding to EA Sports activities FC following the top of the decades-long partnership between EA and FIFA.
