Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Call of Duty to reportedly stay on PlayStation through 2023

By Tomas Franzese January 25, 2022

A new report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier claims that the new mainline Call of Duty games for 2022 and 2023, as well as a sequel to Call of Duty: Warzone, will still be released on PlayStation consoles.

This report comes just over a week after Microsoft announced it acquired Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, with the deal expected to close by June 2023. Ever since the controversial acquisition was announced last week, we’ve speculated what this meant for the exclusivity of Call of Duty, one of the biggest franchises in gaming. The status of Call of Duty got even hazier when Microsoft’s Phil Spencer tweeted his “desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation.”

Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022

This report clarifies what exactly the tweet means. According to four of Bloomberg’s sources, Activision Blizzard had already committed to releasing 2022’s Call of Duty game from Infinity Ward, 2023’s mainline Call of Duty game from Treyarch, and a new version of the free-to-play battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone on PlayStation platforms.

In the past, Microsoft has honored any preexisting console platform agreements, even after their acquisitions are complete, so it’s not very surprising that some Call of Duty games will end up on PlayStation for the next couple of years.

At the earliest, it seems like 2024 could be the first year where we see an Xbox-exclusive Call of Duty game. Bloomberg’s sources did say that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard aren’t completely ruling out releasing Call of Duty games on PlayStation after 2023 just yet. Bloomberg also previously reported that Activision Blizzard may consider not releasing Call of Duty games annually. Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, and Sony have not commented on these reports.

Final decisions on these significant questions are expected to happen once the acquisition is complete. In the meantime, don’t expect any major shift in regard to Call of Duty’s platforms or release schedule for the next two years.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Gaming Staff Writer

Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

The best Warzone Carrack .300 loadout

Character holding the Carrack .300 in Warzone.

Call of Duty: Warzone season 5 has kicked off with two brand new weapons, including the Carrack .300 sniper rifle (aka the WA 2000). This sniper works a lot like it did in past iterations, with a fast fire rate and, unfortunately, low damage. That's the thing about the Carrack .300: It's extremely difficult to use in its current state, regardless of the map you're on. But if you're looking for a challenge, or a weapon to attempt to troll your opponents with, the Carrack .300 might be up your alley. Here's the best Carrack .300 in Warzone.
The best Carrack .300 loadout

Recommended loadout:

Gaming

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is official and it’s coming this November

call of duty modern warfare iii release date makarov mwiii

Activision has confirmed a November 10 release date for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III with a teaser trailer following a barrage of leaks.
The shooter, which is going to be a direct sequel to 2022's Modern Warfare II, was the subject of lots of reports and leaks prior to this announcement. Reports from Bloomberg revealed that this game was originally going to be a Modern Warfare II expansion, but it later got upgraded to a full game. Then, over the summer, more game details started to leak before some Monster Energy advertisements revealed the game's title prematurely. Activision coyly acknowledged this leak on Twitter at the time, but finally pulled the curtain back on the project today with a video titled "Modern Warfare III is Coming."
Modern Warfare III is Coming
It begins with some green soundwaves on-screen and a lot of radio chatter in the background. Then, the soundwaves turn from green to red before the perspective then pushes into them, creating a trippy red void. In there, we briefly see waveform images of a snake and Captain Price before he says, "Never bury your enemies alive" over the silhouette of a new character. This is believed to be Vladimir Makarov, the villain of the original Modern Warfare trilogy, who was teased in the post-credit scene for last year's campaign. After all of that, the title Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is confirmed, as is the release date of November 10.

This date falls right in line with the late October to early November window in which Call of Duty games usually come out. It also places its launch after Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition is expected to be complete, so it looks like this may be the first Call of Duty game released under Microsoft. Other than that date, official details on the game are fairly scarce. Thankfully, we shouldn't have to wait too much longer to learn more.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III launches on November 10.

Gaming

Call of Duty: Warzone devs share the design secrets of the best battle royale map

Overhead shot of Vondel map in Warzone.

The Vondel map in Call of Duty: Warzone is one of the best battlegrounds in the history of the battle royale genre. It's a small-scale, densely packed map with a wide variety of points of interest (POIs) that feel distinct. Modeled after European cities, Vondel is a feat of level design as it simultaneously feels fun and functional. It's a city that you can truly imagine as a real place, with a slew of different shops to enter, a canal, and even a water taxi service that moves throughout the map.

But behind the scenes, there are countless design choices that help the flow and pacing of the map. To get a better sense of just what makes this map work so well, I spoke with Beenox Senior Level Designer Fred Wilson and Lead Artist Guillaume Alain. The duo revealed how Vondel's composition seeps into the players' subconscious, with intuitive design choices that work better than any Warzone map that's come before.
Pacing is king