Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 PS5 PS4 PlayStation

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has proven to be another hit from the franchise, with the vaunted shooter currently selling like hotcakes. It should come as no surprise, then, that we would see a follow-up in the next year, but what form the next full-price Call of Duty release will take is currently a matter for debate.

Activision Blizzard released its third-quarter financial results yesterday, and the wording of a particular passage has insiders and journalists at odds as to its meaning. The passage in question reads, in part, "Activision is looking forward to building on its current momentum in 2023, with plans for next year including the most robust Call of Duty live operations to date, the next full premium release in the blockbuster annual series, and even more engaging free-to-play experiences across platforms."

Insider account CharlieIntel took this to mean that a new, premium Call of Duty game was on the cards for 2023, but Bloomberg's own Jason Schreier maintains that this wording is actually a reference to an expansion to Modern Warfare 2. Schreier has previously reported that an expansion to that game was currently in the works, citing a delay with the next mainline game currently being developed by Treyarch, expected to release in 2024.

Other key takeaways from the financial results include a nearly $300 million year-over-year drop from the third quarter of 2021, with Activision Blizzard attributing this to Call of Duty: Vanguard's less-than-stellar reception. The company stated that it had seen "reduced engagement for Call of Duty following the weaker reception for last year's premium release." We cannot imagine this state of affairs will continue in Q3 of 2023, considering the massive success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, earning more than $1 billion in just ten days on the market.

Do you think we will see a new Call of Duty title or an expansion to Modern Warfare 2 in 2023? Honestly, we could see it going either way. Is a full-priced expansion acceptable, or should we ready our pitchforks in earnest? Let us know in the comments section below.

[source investor.activision.com, via ign.com]