Because of Activision Blizzard’s upcoming acquisition by Microsoft, the company’s customary quarterly investor call, which got set for today, has been canceled. That means we didn’t learn nearly as much about the company’s plans as we often do, but we did discover one thing: Infinity Ward is now the main studio on the next Call of Duty game.
“Activision’s famous Infinity Ward team is leading development on this year’s premium and Warzone games,” Activision Blizzard announced in its Q4 2021 earnings announcement. “With industry-leading innovation and a broadly appealing franchise setting, the team is working on the most ambitious strategy in franchise history.”
It’s no surprise that Infinity Ward has stepped into the driver’s seat for 2022. It’s Infinity Ward’s turn to fire, following Sledgehammer’s Vanguard in 2021 and Treyarch’s Black Ops: Cold War in 2020, according to the surprisingly regular developer rotation established over the years.
This year’s game also gets believed to be a sequel to the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot—so, Modern Warfare 2—though I’m not sure if that qualifies as a reboot (since, you know, it’s a sequel). The game has entered an early alpha stage according to industry insider Tom Henderson.
According to the industry insider, three Infinity Ward studios are working on the game alongside Treyarch, Activision, Raven, Sledgehammer, Demonware, High Moon Studios, Toys for Bob, and Beenox.
It’s also worth noting that Infinity Ward has reclaimed control of the combat royale Call of Duty: Warzone, which was Raven’s baby. But that isn’t unheard of either. Warzone got planned as a follow-up to the Modern Warfare reboot, with Raven and Infinity Ward as co-developers, but Raven appeared to seize the lead after the Black Ops–Cold War in late 2020. Assuming that Modern Warfare 2 will also get incorporated into Warzone, it makes sense for Infinity Ward to return to the fray.
Activision Blizzard also said that Call of Duty net bookings (sales) fell year over year this quarter, “indicating fewer premium sales for Call of Duty: Vanguard against the year-ago title and reduced engagement in Call of Duty: Warzone,” according to Activision Blizzard. Net bookings for Call of Duty Mobile increased year over year in the quarter, “led by ongoing contribution from the game in China.”
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