CoD 2026 reportedly at a “standstill” as Infinity Ward are unhappy with development

Joseph Pascoulis
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Reports claim that CoD 2026’s development is not going to plan, as Infinity Ward are not impressed with the narrative and game mechanics.

Call of Duty 2026 will reportedly be developed by Infinity Ward, bringing the Modern Warfare series back to the fray after Black Ops 6 and CoD 2025, which is rumored to be some sort of Black Ops 2 sequel.

We don’t know much about the game yet, but leaks from BobNetworkUK have revealed some worrying signs about the game’s development, which he referred to as “MW4.”

According to the leaker, development on what is thought to be Modern Warfare 4 is currently at a “standstill,” as they’re unhappy with the narrative and mechanics of the game. Meanwhile, Activision are reportedly putting “severe pressure” on Infinity Ward.

There’s no telling what specific mechanics the devs aren’t happy about, but under Bob’s X post, some have speculated that Infinity Ward don’t like Omnimovement, which is not only set to be a core aspect of Black Ops 6 but will likely be integrated into all Call of Duty titles going forward.

In response to a comment regarding speculation about IW’s feelings toward omnimovement, Bob said, “Oh yeah they hate that s**t apparently.”

Omnimovement allows freedom of movement like never before, as it lets players sprint, dive, and slide in every direction, as well as revamping the way you move while prone.

Treyarch see Ominimovement as an evolution of CoD’s movement mechanics as opposed to a new movement feature like Dolphin Diving or Exosuits. It replaces the classic, more rigid movement that has been around for years, where players can only sprint forward.

It’s unclear whether Infinity Ward actually have any gripes with this mechanic in particular, but it is intriguing that leaks suggest they’re unhappy with MW4’s game mechanics.

We have no idea what the narrative will be for CoD 2026, but assuming it will add to the Modern Warfare universe that Infinity Ward reintroduced with MW2019, it sounds like the devs are unhappy about the direction it’s going.

It’s important to keep in mind that this is all just leaks and speculation, but Bob is a reliable source who has revealed legitimate information in the past. It’s still very early for Call of Duty 2026, so we’ll have to wait and see how things develop.

While Activision are putting pressure on Infinity Ward, their main focus will still be Black Ops 6, which players will be able to experience early with the beta and get more details on during the CoD Next event.

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