Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – it was going to be DLC but plans have changed (pic: Activision)



It’s sounding more and more like the 2023 Call Of Duty game was meant to be DLC but has morphed into a not quite Modern Warfare 2 sequel.



It’s not harsh or inaccurate to call Call Of Duty predictable. Even when details aren’t being leaked , Activision’s consistent release schedule for the series has made it fairly easy to know what to expect every year. Except until now.



In the wake of Call Of Duty: Vanguard’s financial failure , it’s believed Activision is altering its approach to the series, with an October report claiming that it wouldn’t launch a new game this year and instead would offer a DLC expansion for Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 .



A couple of weeks ago, however, it was claimed that said DLC has morphed into a full game. Now another source has corroborated the same claims, calling it a follow-up to Modern Warfare 2 , but not a true sequel per se.



Last year, Activision seemed to deny that it wouldn’t have a premium Call Of Duty game for 2023, although its phrasing was purposefully ambiguous: ‘We have an exciting slate of premium and free-to-play Call Of Duty experiences for this year, next year and beyond. Reports of anything otherwise are incorrect.’



Under normal circumstances, 2023’s entry would be whatever Treyarch’s next game is (presumably Black Ops 5 ), but Activision’s statement doesn’t necessarily mean that this year’s game will be a traditional numbered sequel.



In fact, Bloomberg’s report says that Treyarch’s game is indeed being delayed to 2024, with the next Call Of Duty to instead act as an extension of Modern Warfare 2.



Perhaps the best way to describe it is as Modern Warfare 2.5, since it will include all the 2022 game’s maps and multiplayer modes. Though not confirmed, it will almost certainly feature a new campaign that continues Modern Warfare 2’s story – what was originally the heart of the DLC release.



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Curiously, Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward isn’t handling the project, but instead Sledgehammer Games, which was responsible for Call Of Duty: Vanguard .



That said, multiple Activision studios are lending their assistance, including Treyarch and Infinity Ward, with the latter’s leadership supervising the whole thing.



The game is expected to launch in the autumn, as usual, although Bloomberg’s sources state that Activision’s plans for it could still change before then.









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