“Call of Duty has enjoyed long-standing success because of all of you, a passionate community that demands excellence and deserves nothing less,” it said in a recent blog post. “We also know that for some of you, the franchise has not met your expectations fully. To be very clear, we know what you expect and rest assured we will deliver, and overdeliver, on those expectations as we move forward.”

For Black Ops 7, the goal was for “a spiritual successor to Black Ops 2, and the studios have poured their passion into making a great game that all of us are very proud of.” Of course, the results left much to be desired, and Activision is seemingly aware. “It’s one thing for us to say it; more importantly, it’s up to you to try it and judge for yourselves.”

As a result, you’ll no longer see back-to-back sequels for Modern Warfare (which suffered similar criticism with 2023’s Modern Warfare 3). The reasons for this move are “many, but the main one is to ensure we provide an absolutely unique experience each and every year.”

“We will drive innovation that is meaningful, not incremental. While we aren’t sharing those plans today, we look forward to doing so when the time is right.”

It went on to state that the “best days are ahead of us, given the depth and talent of our development teams” and that it’s been building the “next era of Call of Duty.” “It will deliver precisely on what you want, along with some surprises that push the franchise and the genre forward. We look forward to welcoming you in, listening to you, and moving forward together.”

As for the not-so-distant future, there will be a free trial for multiplayer and Zombies, where Activision would appreciate it if you “experience the game firsthand and decide for yourselves.” Not the campaign, though, which it probably wants you to pretend doesn’t exist, please, and thank you.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC. Check out our review for more details on why it’s one of the worst entries in the series (so far).

Recently, however, Activision executive Peter Kelly – head of creative on Call of Duty – revealed sales figures for three Call of Duty games in a December court filing, as caught and reported by Game File– and the numbers are unsurprisingly high.

As per the court filing, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has sold over 30 million units worldwide since its release in 2019. Meanwhile, the title preceding it – 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot – stands at over 41 million units sold worldwide. Then there’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, which has sold over 43 million units since releasing close to a decade ago in November 2015.

Call of Duty games selling staggering numbers isn’t the most surprising thing in the world- and as per the aforementioned court filing, the series certainly needs to sell that much if it is to turn a profit against its eye-watering development costs, with the aforementioned Black Ops Cold War’s development costing as much as over $700 million. Read more on that through here.

Caught and reported by Game File, development budget figures for three Call of Duty titles were revealed by Activision’s Patrick Kelly – who is head of creative on the Call of Duty franchise – in official court filings in December. As per the filing, 2020’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War had a development budget of over $700 million, 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot stands at over $640 million, while 2015’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 stands at over $450 million.

Kelly states in the filing that those figures cover “development costs over the game’s lifecycle” for each, suggesting that costs associated with developing each title’s post-launch content are included.

That said, it’s also worth noting that these figures only cover development costs- marketing costs, which usually tend to be just as high as development costs for AAA titles (especially for something like Call of Duty), are bound to take the total budget figures radically higher for the three aforementioned titles. Then again, all three titles have also sold exceedingly well, based on figures revealed by Kelly in the filing.

This puts Call of Duty at the top of the list of highest game development budgets. However, it’s worth noting that information on that front is scarce at best, thanks to the consistent reluctance of developers and publishers to disclose relevant numbers. Notable examples in recent years have been limited to the likes of The Last of Us Part 2, Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Concord, The Callisto Protocol, and others, though these newly revealed figures for Call of Duty put the shooter series far above any of those titles.

That’s according to Call of Duty narrative director Brian Bloom, who said in a recent interview with The Washington Post that the rebooted series has a lot of stories and character arcs still left to cover, and that even with three games under its belt, it’s “just getting started”.

“We think of character arcs as going one way, but they can also fall off their arc, they can go backwards, people can evolve and devolve,” Bloom said. “All these things, they offer rich, fertile ground to tell stories, and that’s not going to stop. In fact, I would say we’re just getting started.”

Activision recently unveiled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in full, detailing the experience’s three main components and their biggest headlining features, including the multiplayer and its remastered maps, the single player campaign and its “Open Combat” missions, and a new open world PvE extraction take on the fan-favourite Zombies mode.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches on November 10 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Reported by GamesIndustry, the suit was filed on January 4 in US District Courts for the Central District of California, and covers complaints of trafficking in circumvention devices, intentional interference with contractual relations, and unfair competition.

EngineOwning is a Germany-Based website which deals in sales and distribution of malicious software for various popular multiplayer online games, particularly the Call of Duty titles. EngineOwning provides cheats ranging from auto-aiming, to wallhacks among others and provides them at a price ranging from €4.49 for three days to €139.99 for 90 days.

Activision is seeking for “exemplary and punitive damages.” Additionally, the lawsuit reads: “Because the COD games are so popular, unscrupulous individuals and companies such as [EngineOwning] frequently seek to exploit the games for their own personal gain and profit by selling cheats, hacks, and other malicious software, knowing full well that they are ruining the experience for other players and harming Activision.”

When it comes to banning hackers and cheaters from the games, Activision is pretty swift. As of around August 2021, the company has banned the Call of Duty accounts of approximately 500,000 cheaters (and counting). Now it is time to wait and see whether this will help in reducing the health of the Call of Duty games.

Where new details are concerned, Henderson claims, citing anonymous sources familiar with the project, that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will bring with it a new map for Call of Duty: Warzone. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, of course, since the battle royale shooter introduced a new map with Black Ops Cold War, and will be doing so again with Vanguard. However, whether or not the new map will replace the existing one (which has been trend for Warzone) hasn’t yet been decided.

According to Henderson, the map will feature various locations and “points of interests” from 2009’s original Modern Warfare 2, with classic maps such as Favela, Afghan, Quarry, Terminal, and Trailer Park being “expanded upon and stitched together.”

Interestingly enough, Henderson claims that the new map will serve more than just one purpose. In addition to Warzone, it will also serve as the backdrop for a new mode being introduced in 2022’s Modern Warfare 2. The mode, similar to Battlefield 2042’s Hazard Zone, will allegedly combine PvP and PvE elements, and will see completing objective-based missions on the map and battling AI-controlled cartel enemies. Apparently there’s a chance that this mode, which has allegedly been in the works for “several years”, will replace Zombies in next year’s game, though that could change.

Rounding out the game’s multiplayer offerings, Henderson also reports that the main multiplayer experience will be using a lot of work that was allegedly done on a remaster of the original Modern Warfare 2 that had been in development before it was shelved. This will include remastered maps, weapons, and more returning from the 2009 original.

Additionally, Henderson’s report also expands upon another recent leak which provided potential details on the game’s single player campaign. While there are several details he corroborates, there are some he does so with caveats, and others still that the report claims are not entirely accurate.

For instance, while moral choices and advanced gore and dismemberment will indeed be featured in some story missions, they might not be as crucial to the experience as the aforementioned leak suggests. Similarly, while there are several new animations, including for weapon jamming and characters being shaken up by their surroundings, that’ll happen at specific story moments rather than be featured as a recurring gameplay mechanic.

That said, Henderson claims that the previous leak is accurate about an overhauled AI system that will see enemies reacting more realistically to wounds and gunshots. The story and the single player campaign are, in terms of the big picture, said to expand upon the grittiness and realism that was emphasized so heavily in 2019’s Modern Warfare, with more close-quarters firefights and the like.

Task Force 141 is also allegedly returning with multiple playable protagonists, though you’d expect that much from a sequel to Modern Warfare, of course. Finally, Henderson also claims that where weapons are concerned, traditional armoured vehicles and tanks and what have you will likely be replaced by things like military rubber boats and small helicopters- which makes sense, given that the game allegedly sees Task Force 141 covertly taking on Columbian drug cartels.

These are all unverified details, of course, and Activision hasn’t provided any statement regarding them, so take them with a grain of salt for now, even though Henderson does have a solid track record where leaks (especially Call of Duty-related leaks) are concerned. Of course, with Call of Duty: Vanguard out on November 5, it’s probably going to be a while before Activision begins talking about next year’s game.

Now, new details on the game may have been potentially leaked by Twitter user @RalphsValve, many of which fall in line with previous rumours. According to the leak, Modern Warfare 2 (or whatever it ends up being called) is going to take some interesting risks with its campaign- more specifically, there’s going to be a morality system. It will allegedly work similar to Red Dead Redemption 2’s Honor System, with players’ decisions affecting how the story progresses at certain junctures.

There’s also apparently going to be quite an emphasis on gritty realism. For instance, enemies will have varied and detailed death animations that can change based on where they’ve been shot, and will feature a wide range of reactions. Gore will also be greatly emphasized, the leak claims, and depending on what kinds of bullets you’re using, enemies might get dismembered and lose limbs, or even try and put pressure on their wounds to stop the bleeding.

How the playable character reacts will also allegedly changed depending on the circumstances. During intense, high-stakes shootouts, the protagonist might get flustered, which will manifest in specific voice overs, animations, or even fumbled reload attempts. The leak also claims that weapons will sometimes jam during combat, though interestingly enough, the bullet that you waste upon unjamming the weapon can be physically retrieved and used again.

It should go without saying, but as is always the case with unverified leaks, you should take this all with a grain of salt. A lot of the details do align with previous leaks, but until such time Activision says something about the game in an official capacity (which likely won’t be anytime soon), tread with caution where any and all leaks are concerned.

Meanwhile, Sledgehammer Games’ Call of Duty: Vanguard is launching on November 5 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Campaign
⁃ Assumed to receive a rating ‘M’ for MATURE with Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, In-Game Content Purchases, and Users Interact.

— Ralph (@RalphsValve) October 28, 2021

⁃ Death animations: if an enemy combatant is shot, they will not die immediately, depending on where they’ve been wounded: they’ll beg for their lives, insult you, call out for their Mother, hallucinate, gurgle/moan/groan/death rattle, convulsions.

— Ralph (@RalphsValve) October 28, 2021

⁃ Realistic gore: contingent on the calibre of bullet, combatants will lose limbs – often remaining conscious, squirming and screaming. They’ll also put pressure on wounds in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

— Ralph (@RalphsValve) October 28, 2021

State-of-the-art weapon dynamics and revised interactivity, all details are specific to Campaign:

— Ralph (@RalphsValve) October 28, 2021

… heavy breathing and swallowing, voice quivering during call-outs etc; This applies equally to their ‘Realism’ mode

— Ralph (@RalphsValve) October 28, 2021

⁃ New feature: Bullet in the Chamber and Bullet ejection

— Ralph (@RalphsValve) October 28, 2021

Noted leaker Tom Henderson recently took to Twitter and stated that the aforementioned Project Cortez is the codename given to Call of Duty 2022, which will apparently be a sequel to 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. In a separate report, VGC writes that the same has been corroborated by their own sources.

According to VGC, Call of Duty 2022 is being developed by Infinity Ward, and will have a single player campaign that tells the story of US special forces fighting a covert war against Columbian drug cartels. Supposedly, the codename Project Cortez is a reference to the 1994 film Clear and Present Danger, which, of course, has a similar purpose, and features a primary antagonist named Colonel Félix Cortez.

Infinity Ward’s last Call of Duty game came in 2019, with Treyarch leading the 2020 entry and Sledgehammer Games returning for this year’s game, so them returning for the 2022 entry does line up with the timeline the series has traditionally taken. Of course, until we hear something official from Activision (which likely won’t happen for at least a year), it’s best not to take this as confirmation.

Call of Duty: Vanguard, led by Sledgehammer Games (with support from every other Activision studio) launches on November 5 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Call of Duty: Warzone will also be getting an significant update to go along with that.

It looks like Call of Duty: 2022 is codenamed Project Cortez

It's expected to be a sequel to Modern Warfare 2019.

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) September 13, 2021

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare directorial duo Taylor Kurosaki and Jacob Minkoff are leaving Infinity Ward. Kurosaki was the narrative director on the 2019 first person shooter, while Minkoff was the design director. Both took to Twitter today to announce their departure, and while they didn’t share details on what’s next for them, it does seem like they’re going to stick together, and will have news to share soon.

Both Kursaki and Minkoff joined Infinity Ward together in 2014, and have been working together on Call of Duty for the last seven years, including both Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare. Prior to that, both of them were at Naughty Dog, and worked on the likes of Uncharted and The Last of Us.

“It was an honor to be part of the studio for the last 7 years and we’re so proud of what we created together with Modern Warfare and Infinite Warfare,” the duo wrote in their message announcing their departure. “We wish the team nothing but the best.”

Hey everyone, @JacobMinkoff and I wanted to share an exciting update. More to come! pic.twitter.com/W8jek72qDs

— Taylor Kurosaki (@taylorkurosaki) May 27, 2021

Some news from @taylorkurosaki and me: pic.twitter.com/rY00ougWS3

— Jacob Minkoff (@JacobMinkoff) May 27, 2021

Toxicity is a problem in almost every online community, but it’s especially prevalent in online shooters, and especially Call of Duty, where the racism and sexism present in the online lobbies have became a meme. Activision, however, is trying to create a safer environment for their audience. It’s an admirable effort, and now we get to see what we’re doing.

“We are committed to delivering a fun gameplay experience for all of our players,” Activision wrote on its blog providing an upgrade on its anti-toxicity initiative. “There’s no place for toxic behavior, hate speech or harassment of any kind in our games or our society. We are focused on making positive steps forward, and together celebrating the best fans in the world.”

Activision announced that they had banned “over 350,000 accounts for racist names or toxic behavior based on player-submitted reports and an extensive review of our player-name database” across Call of Duty: Warzone, Black Ops Cold War, Modern Warfare, and Call of Duty: Mobile over the last twelve months. Activision also said that they want to continue to improve ” player reporting capabilities and moderation, as well as addressing voice chat to help combat toxicity,” and acknowledged that they still have a long way to go.