Whether there will be a new Call of Duty release for 2023 has been the subject of much discussion since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II launched on October 28, 2022. While Activision has published a new Call of Duty every year since 2005, reports around this latest title claimed that Modern Warfare II would be a two-year release, and instead supported by expansion content throughout 2023.
However, it seems Activision has changed plans. According to a rumor reported by Insider-Gaming, a new full-fledged, premium Call of Duty is under development and scheduled for November 10, 2023. The game will be developed by Sledgehammer Games, previously responsible for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Call of Duty: Vanguard, and reportedly will heavily connect to the Modern Warfare series, although there is no confirmation as of now that this will be Modern Warfare 3.
According to Jason Schreier of Bloomberg, this new title was originally planned to be premium DLC content until Treyarch’s Call of Duty game was completed. After Treyarch’s title was delayed until 2024, the premium content became more and more fleshed out until eventually being enough to be slated for a full release.
The new Call of Duty will enter a beta weekend for PS4/PS5 between October 6 and October 10, and then a second beta weekend opened up to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC platforms. A campaign early access will begin on November 2 before the game’s official launch a week later. It’s possible that Modern Warfare II’s $800 million launch, the largest in franchise history, may have influenced Activision’s decision to commit to another new Call of Duty this year after all.