An official launch for the next annual Call of Duty has yet to be revealed, but it does appear a release window has now leaked, courtesy of a US district court judge. During the ongoing investigation into the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, judge Jacqueline Scott Corley reportedly referred to an upcoming Call of Duty game as releasing in November 2023 – a date which would align with recent rumours.
Corley revealed the date during proceedings, while also noting the game will launch on PlayStation platforms, as well as on Xbox and PC, in line with Activision’s ongoing deal with Sony and regardless of any Microsoft purchasing decisions.
As reports of this release date began to spread on social media, the official Call of Duty Twitter account seemingly reacted to the reveal, posting the ‘eyes’ emoji. In common vernacular, this tends to indicate surprise, tension, or drama. Many have taken it as confirmation that judge Corley’s comments are accurate, and that the upcoming Call of Duty is targeting a November 2023 release.
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This date has floated for some time – most notably, thanks to leaks shared by reporter Tom Henderson on Insider Gaming – but this appears to be the first instance of confirmation from ‘official’ sources.
Should Henderson’s wider reporting also align with established Activision Blizzard plans, we can assume the next Call of Duty will be a ‘fully-fledged’ campaign-driven adventure that will be ‘heavily connected to the Modern Warfare series’.
Henderson has alleged this title will be known as Modern Warfare 3, and that it will have multiple beta and early access sessions across October and November 2023. For now, these details are yet to be confirmed – but given details revealed during the FTC investigation, it’s likely we’ll learn more about the future of Call of Duty sooner, rather than later.
