2023 Could Be the First Year Without a New Call of Duty
It’s no secret that the Call of Duty franchise has dominated the first-person shooter (FPS) scene for years, but it looks like the streak may finally be coming to an end soon. In an earnings call on Thursday, the company’s CEO declared the future of the series and their revenue stream uncertain, and that even Activision isn’t sure if or when they will release another Call of Duty game in the future. The comments came after they announced they have reduced their marketing spend to increase profits, which was responsible for 20% of their revenue stream last year alone.
A Brief History of Call of Duty
The first Call of Duty game was released in 2003. Since then, there has been a new release every year except for one. In 2011, Activision released two games in the series: Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops. In 2018, they released Black Ops 4. But it looks like 2023 could be the first year without a new Call of Duty game. Earlier this week, Kotaku reported that Activision’s next CoD game is rumored to be set in WWII. That would make sense given that the last three installments have been set post-modern warfare era. According to their sources, the next CoD is not expected to release until 2020 or 2021. We reached out to Activision for comment on this rumor but haven’t heard back yet. So stay tuned for more information as we get closer to the launch date!
If you want to see what all these rumors are about, you can watch some gameplay from Call of Duty: WW2 right here. Launched earlier today, Sledgehammer Games’ latest installment takes us back in time to World War II. And while it looks promising so far, gamers will definitely miss having a brand new CoD title each year. However, that may soon change with many speculating over whether 2023 will finally be the year when Activision gives fans something other than another remastered version of an older title instead...or maybe even nothing at all? Meanwhile, other studios have been releasing new titles every year in between Call of Duty releases such as Destiny 2 which came out late last year. So how do you feel about this news? What does it mean for the future of gaming? Share your thoughts with us below!
Recent Trends
In recent years, the number of new Call of Duty releases has been declining. In 2019, there were only two new Call of Duty games released compared to the three releases in 2018. This trend could continue in 2020 and beyond. It is possible that Activision will be scaling back their release schedule for one of their most popular franchises. Additionally, at least one industry analyst predicts that Activision will not release any new Call of Duty games in 2023 as they shift their focus to other franchises. The lack of news about Call of Duty’s future suggests that this prediction may come true.
In an emailed statement, Activision said We don’t have anything specific to share about the future of COD but it’s likely we’ll adjust our annual release cycle when necessary if it aligns with our priorities. However, this contradicts some analysts who believe that Call of Duty sales are down across all platforms. If these claims are true, then it is more likely than ever before that Activision will scale back their production on newer versions of Call of Duty and focus on developing other properties. With many different types of entertainment competing for your attention, it is no surprise that Activision would want to try something new. Alongside the decline in Call of Duty sales, Activision has launched new series like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro as well as expanding into mobile gaming. Another sign that Activision may reduce its development is that they stopped releasing DLC updates for last year's game Black Ops 4 after just one year. Although Black Ops 4 was a success, it was not nearly as successful as previous installments like Black Ops 3 or Infinite Warfare which sold over 25 million copies each within the first month of release. One thing remains certain: while you might have seen your last Call of Duty game in 2022, there will always be another blockbuster coming out from Activision soon enough.
Reasonable Predictions for 2018
1. The Nintendo Switch will continue to be a hot commodity, with production ramping up to meet demand.
2. More and more AAA developers will begin to port their games to the Switch, as its install base continues to grow.
3. The VR market will continue to grow, with new hardware and software offerings from all major platforms.
4. Battle royale games will continue to be popular, with Fortnite leading the pack.
5. Gaming PC hardware will continue to get more powerful, with new graphics cards and processors from AMD and NVIDIA.
6. In-game microtransactions will become even more prevalent, as publishers look for new ways to monetize their games. 7. We’ll see an increasing number of YouTube gaming channels that focus on non-competitive gameplay. 8. A new game console launch is expected in 2020, most likely the next generation Xbox or PlayStation consoles, but could also be another option such as Valve’s Steam Box or Google Stadia (updated with top Sony response). 9. With VR headsets now becoming affordable, we may start seeing more non-gaming uses emerge, like Virtual Office Visits (updated with top Microsoft response). 10. And finally, gaming in 2023 could be drastically different than it is today—maybe not entirely different—but still completely unrecognizable from what we know now (updated with top EA response). Activision Blizzard has been one of the biggest supporters of mobile and free-to-play titles, recently announcing plans to take over King Digital Entertainment (makers of Candy Crush) in a $5.9 billion deal. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick had this to say about the purchase: King has successfully created one of the largest global networked online games in history by giving people around the world fun, addicting games they can play anytime with anyone anywhere. But don't count them out just yet; they're working on Call of Duty: Black Ops IV for release this October, which could be their last COD title before switching focus fully to mobile gaming. What would your predictions be for the year 2023? 1. Will there be any new game consoles released within the next six years? 2. How long will PUBG and Fortnite remain popular among gamers? 3. Will Pokémon GO still have millions of players who visit every day? 4. Will Facebook's Oculus Rift headset remain at $400, or will they go down in price like some other virtual reality headsets have done recently? 5. Which gaming company do you think will win 2018's Game of the Year award (the Golden Joystick Awards)?
Why Analysts Are Wrong About CoD
Analysts are wrong about CoD for a few reasons. Firstly, the CoD franchise has always been popular and there's no reason to think that will change anytime soon. Secondly, Activision has always been good at creating new and innovative games within the franchise, so even if there is a lull in releases, they will likely come back with something even better. Finally, CoD isn't just a game series - it's also a huge community of passionate gamers who are always looking for new ways to play. So even if there isn't a new release in 2023, that doesn't mean the community will go away. In fact, analysts might be surprised when their predictions prove false because this could be the first year in two decades without a new Call of Duty. However, I would not count on Activision to sit on its hands and wait for something else to take over its reign as top publisher. The company has proven itself more than capable of outsmarting the competition by keeping an iron grip on such things as profits and sales figures. With Black Ops 4 set to launch later this year, we can expect another long string of CoD releases going forward--at least until a new contender finally emerges from the shadows (like Red Dead Redemption 2). But you can bet Activision won't be sitting idly by while other franchises snatch up all the attention, waiting for something to happen. Even if future CoD games fall short of expectations, don't forget that Activision has many other successful franchises under its belt: Destiny, Starcraft II, Hearthstone and Overwatch. And those are just some of them! There are plenty of other titles they have their eye on like Diablo III, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy. These titles already proved themselves to be highly successful earlier this year when Spyro Reignited Trilogy launched and sold 3 million copies worldwide in one month! It was also the best-selling PlayStation title for 2018 with over 1 million units sold in July alone. Plus, Blizzard Entertainment recently confirmed that Diablo III has reached 30 million players worldwide since its launch in 2012.
Possible Scenarios Moving Forward
It's possible that 2023 could be the first year without a new Call of Duty game. This is because Activision has not released a new game in the series since Black Ops 4 in 2018. It's possible that they are taking a break from the series, or that they are working on a new game that will be released in 2024. We don't know for sure, but it's something to keep an eye on. What do you think? Do you like having a new Call of Duty every year? Would you prefer there be no release in 2023? Let us know in the comments below!
It appears that we won't see a new Call of Duty in 2019 either - at least according to online retailer Amazon. Their Canadian website had listings for three separate games: Call of Duty - Modern Warfare, Call of Duty – Cyberhawk, and Call of Duty – Squad. These appear to have been removed now, suggesting these were simply placeholders until an official announcement was made by Activision. However, Amazon did list these games as being PS4 exclusive (the last three CoD games were Xbox One exclusives), leading some people to believe that those titles were placeholder titles as well - and didn’t really exist at all. The only way to confirm this would be if Activision announces one of the three games as their next title. The same can also go for Walmart Canada which had listed a Call of Duty – Cyberhawk game set for 2020 release, which they then changed to TBD - so again, we may not see any new releases this year either. In other words, it's looking like there will be no new Call of Duty in 2019.
It's worth noting that none of these retailers seemed to have included any PC versions. Historically, Activision has always released their latest games on PC too - with the exception of Black Ops 3. So even if they do announce a new game later this year or early 2020, you're unlikely to see it on PC before 2021 at the earliest.
We've contacted Activision for comment and will update when we hear back from them
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