Call of Duty 2023 Leaks Reveal Full Title and Release Date
Call of Duty will reportedly be getting a fully-fledged title in 2023, despite rumors that Modern Warfare 2 would have a two-year cycle.
It was previously thought that Activision would be breaking away from its traditional yearly release of a mainline Call of Duty in 2023 but, according to Inside Gaming, that might no longer be the case. In a recent earnings call on Feb. 6, Activision revealed that “the next full annual premium release in the blockbuster series” is coming in 2023. It was unclear whether "premium release" referred to paid expansions or a new, full title.
There were numerous reports that suggested that in Fall an expansion to Modern Warfare 2 would be released, helmed by Sledgehammer Games. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier suggested as such
in a post on Twitter, saying that an expansion was one the way that's "a continuation of MW2."
Not unfeasible to add content to something that started off as an expansion and sell it for $60-70... either way the point is that it's a continuation of MW2... anyway see you again at the May earnings call https://t.co/Dw3xySEVpd
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) February 6, 2023
Additional leaks added fuel to the claim, with leaker TheGhostofHope suggesting that a “greatest hits map pack” would be coming to Modern Warfare 2 in 2023 as paid DLC. It would include a number of classic maps from past Call of Duty titles and be in celebration of the franchise's 20th anniversary.
But, in contrast, a new report from Tom Henderson via Insider Gaming has claimed that Call of Duty 2023 will be a full game.
Call of Duty 2023 to be "Full Premium Standalone" Game
On Feb. 9, Henderson said in his report that "Insider Gaming understands that the project changed direction to become a full premium standalone release planned for 2023."
"As for the content of the title, details are scarce, but the game will be heavily connected to the Modern Warfare series. If recent Call of Duty titles are to go by though, expect a lot of remastered maps for multiplayer," the report continued.
CharlieIntel further supported the claims, saying, "Insider-Gaming’s report corroborates what we’ve heard in that there was a shift from doing just a year 2 “expansion” to a “full premium” game for 2023."
Bloomberg’s @jasonschreier reporting last year was accurate - Treyarch’s game is 2024, with more MWII for 2023. What changed was the 2023 offering changed to be a full premium at some point with Sledgehammer leading. pic.twitter.com/s47sc7Gztg
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) February 9, 2023
According to Insider Gaming, the new title will have two Beta weeks, an early access campaign period, and will also still be released on previous generation consoles. The outlet presented some key dates for the game's release timings:
- Beta weekend 1 (PS4/PS5) – Oct. 6, 2023 – Oct. 10, 2023
- Beta weekend 2 (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S/PC) – Oct. 12, 2023 – Oct. 16, 2023
- Campaign Early Access (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S/PC) – Nov. 2, 2023
- Full Release (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S/PC) – Nov. 10, 2023
The game is also thought to be developed by Sledgehammer Games, though will remain a collaborative project across all of Activision’s Call of Duty studios.