Call of Duty’s Unusual Silence: What Does It Mean for the Franchise’s Future?

What’s happening with Call of Duty? As fans of the annual saga have come to expect, the usual process involves an official spring presentation, a first glimpse of gameplay in early June, and a series of updates leading to the game’s launch around October or November, including at least two beta periods.

However, as of June 20, the fourth season of Call of Duty Modern Warfare II and Warzone content has been released without any official announcement or even a hint about the next installment from Activision Blizzard.

Amidst Corporate Drama: Rumors Persist

While Activision Blizzard and Microsoft navigate their own ongoing saga, recently accelerated by the involvement of the American FTC, rumors regarding the next Call of Duty continue to circulate, albeit at an unusual time. On May 11, reputable media outlets such as Insider Gaming reported that, unsurprisingly, the upcoming release would be Call of Duty Modern Warfare III.

The original Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 was released over ten years ago in March 2012. However, if this leak proves true, players can expect a direct continuation of last year’s installment along with remastered maps from previous Call of Duty games.

Leaked Maps and Speculation

Even in the absence of official announcements, leaks about classic maps have emerged, with reputable sources like Cod_Perseus (verified by specialized COD medium Charlie Intel) suggesting the return of two familiar environments: Terminal, one of the most beloved maps from Modern Warfare 2 (2009), and Scrapyard, which appeared more recently in Modern Warfare (2019).

The question naturally arises: What plans does Activision Blizzard have for the presentation and launch of the rumored Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3?

According to Insider Gaming, if all goes according to plan, the announcement will take place at the beginning of August 2023, followed by the traditional betas two months later, with the first beta being exclusive to PlayStation players, as in previous years.

Furthermore, as per rumors, the campaign would be released a few days before the full launch, which is tentatively scheduled for November 10. The leaked dates, if accurate, would look as follows:

• First Weekend of CoD Beta: MW3 – October 6-10, 2023 on PS5 and PS4.
• Second Weekend of CoD Beta: MW3 – October 12-16, 2023 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
• CoD Campaign Early Access: MW3: November 2, 2023
• Game Release (including multiplayer) of CoD: MW3: November 10, 2023
• New Warzone Map and First Season of Content: December 5, 2023.

A Word of Caution: Unofficial Information and Priorities

It’s important to bear in mind that, despite the information from reputable sources, Activision Blizzard has not made any official announcements. Currently, their focus lies on launching the new Crash Bandicoot game ahead of schedule and resolving the acquisition by Microsoft.

While speculations abound, one cannot deny that if the rumored dates and plans align and Microsoft successfully integrates Activision and its franchises into the Xbox project, launching a new Call of Duty directly on Xbox Game Pass would make a significant impact.

Yet, despite all this, we find ourselves at square one: we know there will be a new Call of Duty this year, but no official information has been disclosed thus far.

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