Much of the success of theCall of Dutyfranchise has derived from the consistent annual releases that the series has employed for most of its existence. With such a rapid turnaround of huge amounts of fresh content for players to enjoy, the franchise has always possessed connotations of unpredictability and high-octane excitement.
Despite this, it was widely reported that 2023 would see no newCall of Dutytitle, giving the recently releasedModern Warfare 2andWarzone 2an unprecedented two-year life cycle. Of course, many were surprised at this ambitious breakage of such longstanding franchise traditions, however recent developments in the way of leaks and reputable rumors may indicate that theCoDfranchise still has ambitious and unpredictable plans.
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Full Premium Call of Duty Release in 2023
One of the overarching points of discussion for therecently releasedCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2was its supposed two years of uncontested dominance as the forefront premium release of the hugely popular franchise. However, recent financial reports from Activision itself may indicate a different reality from what fans were initially led to believe.
Back in November 2022, Activision issued a financial release that briefly outlined the company’s plans for theCoDfranchise in 2023, which included the likes of comprehensive live-service additions as well as brand-new free-to-play experiences for the title. As well as this, the financial release surprisingly indicated Activision’s intention to launch the “next full premium release” in the franchise. Of course, nothing is known regarding the setting or content of this mystery title yet, but some have theorized that this could simply be in reference to a huge DLC expansion forModern Warfare 2, which may be so expansive that it is classified as a premium release in and of itself.
Modern Warfare 2 DLC
With the aforementioned hints towards the “premium release” being additional content forMW2, it is important to note that there are already several reported leaks and rumors regarding upcoming content for the fresh title. Many are speculating that a large portion of this DLC will be a comprehensive expansion to thecampaign ofModern Warfare 2, marking a franchise-first for additional story content post-launch inCall of Duty.
Another major DLC forModern Warfare 2that is expected to release in 2023 concerns the game’s popular multiplayer mode. More specifically, 2023 is supposedly set to see a huge map pack be introduced toModern Warfare 2, being comprised of the most memorable and iconic maps from the 2009 franchise title of the same name. While maps have usually been added for free with seasonal updates in more recentCoDtitles, it seems thatModern Warfare 2may revert to the previous franchise philosophy of huge map bundles as paid DLC.
Warzone 2 Content
As well as developments forModern Warfare 2, there have predictably been several leaks and rumors regarding thefree-to-play battle royaleWarzone 2. The originalWarzonewent through several tweaks and changes over the course of its life cycle, and so it is no wonder that many of the alleged changes that may come toWarzone 2in 2023 are quite comprehensive.
Therecently delayed Season 2 ofWarzone 2was long rumored to include a brand-new smaller-scale map to host the sequel’s version of the popular Resurgence mode from the firstWarzone, with this now being officially confirmed by Activision itself. It can be assumed thatWarzone 2will face several changes to its map roster in 2023, much in the same way that the original game did during its first year of launch.
As well as these changes, it is strongly rumored thatWarzone 2will undergo significant weapon balancing changes in the near future. With the likes of theFennec 45 submachine guncompletely dominating the current meta of the game, it is clear that changes need to be implemented to weapon balancing as a top priority. While many of these leaks and rumors are subject to change, it remains that fans have a lot of upcoming content to look forward to in 2023 for theCall of Dutyfranchise.
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