Call Of Duty 2023 Probably Won't Be Called Modern Warfare 3, Report Says

New details have emerged about this year's Call of Duty game. Bloomberg reports that Call of Duty 2023 will be, as rumored, an "extension" of 2022's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Sledgehammer Games will reportedly lead the development on this title.

The game, which reportedly will not be called Modern Warfare III, is said to have begun its development as a premium expansion to Modern Warfare II. But it evolved to become a "standalone, full-price release." Details are scant, but Bloomberg said the new game will feature some of the same maps and modes from Modern Warfare II.

The report went on to say that, in early 2022, Activision delayed a Call of Duty game from Treyarch from 2023 to 2024. This would have left 2023 as the first time in almost 20 years that Activision would not launch a full-on new entry in the Call of Duty series. It was at this time that Activision management told Sledgehammer Games it would be assigned to developing a "premium expansion" for Modern Warfare II to fill the gap.

This new project, which could include a single-player campaign and new multiplayer maps, is now a full game, the report said, and it's reportedly set for release this fall.

A previous report said the new game will launch on November 10, with campaign early access starting November 2. Beta weekends will take place October 6-10 (for PlayStation) and October 12-16 (for everyone), the report said.

During Activision Blizzard's latest earnings briefing, the company reiterated that it will launch the "next full annual premium release" in the Call of Duty series later in 2023.

Sledgehammer developed 2021's Call of Duty: Vanguard, which was a commercial disappointment. The team again has less than two years to make 2023's game, but developers told Bloomberg they are getting more help from Activision's network of studios than they did for Vanguard.

Finally, the report said Activision might be considering a future where the Call of Duty series shifts back and forth between Modern Warfare and Black Ops games, though nothing is locked down as of yet. All of this is happening against the backdrop of Microsoft attempting to buy Activision Blizzard in the biggest buyout in the history of video games.

The Call of Duty franchise is among the biggest gaming series in the world. It's so big and impactful that, if Activision skipped a mainline release in 2023, this would have a major, lasting negative impact on gaming overall, according to the NPD.