CoD 2023 delayed by a year, will launch new “free” title instead claims report

Matt Porter
Call of Duty players firing their weapons

A new report claims Activision does not intend to release a mainline Call of Duty title in 2023, instead opting to drop a “free-to-play” game as a replacement and releasing more Modern Warfare 2 DLC throughout 2023.

Since 2005, Activision has released a brand-new Call of Duty game every year, swapping between developers to ensure their annual release schedule remains intact.

For the first time in almost 20 years, it seems that will not be the case. According to Bloomberg, there will be no mainline CoD title released next year, with Treyarch getting an additional 12 months to work on their next game and more Modern Warfare 2 DLC releasing throughout 2023.

CoD player using the Grav

The report states that Call of Duty 2023, which should be Treyarch’s next entry to the series, has been pushed back until 2024. Bloomberg suggests that Activision have made this decision in an effort to prevent future Call of Duty titles from conflicting with other releases in the series, which is what the company believes lead to Vanguard’s disappointing sales. It is not believed to be part of Microsoft’s acquisition of the company.

With no 2023 game, Activision instead plans to launch a free-to-play title instead, although we’re not sure what this could be. We do know it will be a separate launch from Warzone 2 though.

Call of Duty fans can still look forward to a game this year though, with Modern Warfare 2 still on track to release this fall.

Despite these reports, Activision have stated that both “premium and free-to-play experiences” will launch in 2023, saying that “reports of anything otherwise are incorrect.”

Modern Warfare 2 set for extra DLC in 2023

Schreier provided an update on February 22, claiming that “Activision held several town halls yesterday to brief COD studios on the news.”

In these calls, they reportedly set out the “nebulous” plans for 2023 that include “ongoing DLC for 2022’s Modern Warfare game among other things.” Plus, Treyarch will get an extra year to develop their game.

He expanded on what’s “nebulous,” saying that there’s no confirmation of whether it’ll be paid expansions or more free Seasonal content, similar to how CoD’s operated since Modern Warfare.


What a delay would mean to Call of Duty is hard to imagine, and would have huge ramifications on things like the Call of Duty League, and the gaming industry as a whole.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait and see if this report turns out to be true. But for more, you can check out how to earn CDL Major 1 viewership rewards.

Image Credit: Activision

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About The Author

Matt is CharlieINTEL's UK Editor, specializing in all things Call of Duty, including Warzone and Modern Warfare 2. Matt previously worked as a freelance esports writer for Gfinity, before joining Dexerto in 2018 as a Junior & Senior Writer. You can contact Matt via email at: [email protected]