Call of Duty Will Get ‘Full Premium Release’ in 2023, Rumored to be Modern Warfare 2 Expansion
Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard says the annual franchise will be a “full premium release” in 2023.
In its third quarter 2022 earnings call, activision blizzard wrote about Call of Duty for next year, saying the company is planning “the most robust Call of Duty live operation to date, the next full premium release of the blockbuster annual series, and an even more compelling free-to-play experience.” on all platforms.”
However, it remains unclear whether this is a brand new game for this year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 or more expensive content. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier referred to his Activision Blizzard wording, saying that the “full premium release” Activision Blizzard is talking about is a “continuation of Modern Warfare II.” Features new single and multiplayer content. But it’s more he’s MWII. ”
Man lol, you keep falling for the same PR language. A continuation of Modern Warfare II. It’s called a full premium release, probably because it’s going to be marketed and sold as a $70 game with new single and multiplayer content.But it’s more MWII
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 7, 2022
Schreier also revealed his knowledge of the upcoming Call of Duty timeline. According to Schreier, in 2023 we will see the Modern Warfare 2 paid premium expansion from Sledgehammer. Apparently, the size of the expansion is what justifies Activision’s “full premium release” label. Schreier has since claimed that his next Call of Duty entry will come from Treyarch in 2024.
Officially, Call of Duty 2023 has not been postponed. In a statement to IGN earlier this year, Activision said, “We have exciting premium, free-to-play Call of Duty experiences for this year, next year and beyond. Any other report is incorrect. We look forward to sharing more details when the time comes.”
Activision Blizzard revenue declines
Elsewhere, the company also reported a nearly $300 million year-over-year decline in revenue from the third quarter of 2021, blaming 2021’s Call of Duty: Vanguard. I’m here. The company’s net revenue in Q3 2021 was $2.07 billion compared to his $1.78 billion in Q3 2022.
Activision Blizzard wrote that the poor performance was due to “a weak response to last year’s premium release, resulting in less engagement with Call of Duty.” Thanks to a blistering hot start from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the company expects he’ll see improvements for the remainder of 2022.
The fastest Call of Duty game to reach $1 billion, Modern Warfare 2 is also a huge success on PC. Activison Blizzard says Modern Warfare 2 PC sales are at about double the level of “the most recent strong title in the series.” The game also set a franchise record for engagement, with his first 10 days of playing time being over 40% more than his previous record.
Vanguard’s comparative sales struggles when pitted against the rest of the franchise are well documented. “The game’s World War II setting didn’t resonate with some of the community.”
For more on Call of Duty, check out why the franchise’s future on PlayStation is secure, according to Xbox’s Phil Spencer.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over 6 years of experience in the games industry and has bylines for IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
