Activision confirms new Call of Duty sub-franchise

Activision Microsoft Corporation ↘ 1.93% plans to branch Call of Duty beyond its Modern Warfare and Black Ops lines. Chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl said a future game will start a new sub-franchise and that the company has "already laid the groundwork," Insider Gaming reported, citing an interview with The Game Business.insider-gaming.com

The comments come eight days before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23. Players are pushing back on a run of sequels, and Activision is trying to show it has heard them.

A response to fan fatigue

Bahl brought up the new sub-franchise while talking about Black Ops 7, which followed directly after Black Ops 6. "It was not something that our community was looking for," he said, according to Kotaku. "They wanted something fresh, and even though there were different time settings, and ways to play the game with new features, that tonal shift is something that they were looking for. So, we've already stated that a future title is going to be a new sub-franchise and we've already laid the groundwork."kotaku.com

VGChartz reported that Activision will no longer release back-to-back games from the same subseries. Bahl also said future games need to offer something "new or better or different," according to Digg's summary of the interview.digg.com+1

Activision has not announced a name, release window, setting or developer for the new line. Bahl did not say which year it will arrive, Gamewave noted. Still, Dexerto reported that CharlieIntel sources say the game is due in 2027. It would be the first new Call of Duty sub-series since Vanguard in 2021. Reports in July 2025 described a 2027 game with a modern-era setting, no jetpack-style movement and hand-to-hand combat, Insider Gaming noted. Bahl's comments did not confirm any of those details.gamewave.fr+2

Modern Warfare 4 comes first

For now, the focus is on Modern Warfare 4. Bahl called it a more grounded military shooter and the end of the current Modern Warfare series, per Diggdigg.com. Players who bought the early access edition can start the campaign on October 16, Kotaku reportedkotaku.com. The full game launches on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 Sony Group Corporation, Xbox Series X|S and PC, according to VGChartzvgchartz.com.

Competing with GTA 6

Grand Theft Auto VI from Rockstar Games Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. ↘ 1.96% arrives a few weeks after Modern Warfare 4, but Bahl doesn't see it as a threat. "No offense to Zelda, but [GTA 6 and Modern Warfare 4] are the two biggest games of the year," he said, arguing that more people coming back to their consoles means "more eyeballs for us, overall," Nintendo Everything reported.nintendoeverything.com

He also said the series pays a "Call of Duty tax" in reviews and reception. "If people don't like the game, we've missed the mark," Bahl told The Game Business.digg.com