Activision has confirmed that the next installment in the Call of Duty franchise will introduce a new sub-series, moving away from the established Modern Warfare and Black Ops continuations. This strategic shift aims to address player feedback regarding franchise fatigue, as highlighted by Activision's chief marketing officer, Tyler Bahl.
Bahl acknowledged that releasing consecutive titles within the same sub-franchise, such as Modern Warfare 2 and 3, or Black Ops 6 and 7, was met with resistance from the player community. "We were pretty public about the idea of us going back-to-back with Modern Warfare 2 to Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 6 to Black Ops 7 was not something that our community was looking for," Bahl stated in an interview with The Game Business.
The franchise has not launched a new sub-series since 2021's Call of Duty: Vanguard, which reportedly underperformed and did not establish a lasting new direction. While Sledgehammer Games, the developer of Vanguard, is believed to be working on the upcoming new sub-series, details remain scarce. Rumors suggest the 2027 title may be set in the late 1990s and early 2000s, featuring a completely new cast and setting. The success of this new endeavor will hinge on its ability to differentiate itself from the franchise's existing sub-series and its potential for future sequels.