Activision Reveals the Future of Call of Duty
Activision revealed new details for upcoming Call of Duty launches at a showcase last week. While the jury is out on how Activision’s crowning jewel franchise will do this year, there are signs of promise.
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2022): The sequel to 2019’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare reboot of 2007’s landmark Call of Duty 4 and 2009’s blockbuster follow up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 got a full gameplay reveal.
- Call of Duty Warzone 2: The sequel to the pandemic’s breakout battle royal hit is set to arrive November 16.
- To the developers’ credit, this iteration is not a copy and paste and appears to have substantial changes
- Call of Duty Warzone Mobile: We also got gameplay from the upcoming mobile port of Warzone.
- Cross-progression with console & PC titles
- iOS & Android release in 2023
Can Activision Catch Lightning in a Bottle Again?
Activision struck gold twice with Call of Duty in 2019. First, it revitalized interest in an aging franchise, and more importantly, it provided the foundations for the massive cash cow that was Warzone during the pandemic. Now, Activision is counting on developers Infinity Ward to again right the ship. We won’t know for a while if they succeeded, but there is cause for optimism and caution.
Activision struck gold twice with Call of Duty in 2019. First, it revitalized interest in an aging franchise, and more importantly, it provided the foundations for the massive cash cow that was Warzone during the pandemic. Now, Activision is counting on developers Infinity Ward to again right the ship. We won’t know for a while if they succeeded, but there is cause for optimism and caution.
- A Return to Form: Some of the reasons offered for the underperformance of the last two CODs (Cold War & Vanguard) were pandemic work conditions and the lack of a modern setting. This upcoming duo of COD games have modern settings and the benefit of some post-pandemic development time.
- Leaning into Mobile: There is no reason to think Warzone cannot also be a hit on mobile, especially as consumers shift away from pandemic habits and foreign markets continue to grow.
- 2022 Isn’t 2019: It can’t be understated how much having a captive audience stuck at home amid a surge in new gamers boosted the performance of COD during the pandemic. With the downturn in gaming this year, it’s increasingly looking like 2019 and 2020 were a singular moment of time we won’t see again soon.
