Call of Duty execs reportedly considering shift away from annual releases

Call of Duty executives are reportedly  thinking about moving away from annual releases of the FPS following poor Vanguard sales. 

After Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard, many question marks have popped up revolving around Call of Duty. Many questioned if the game will remain on PlayStation or if the franchise would become Xbox-exclusive. While the company did confirm their plans to keep CoD on PlayStation, some wonder if it’s a stunt to get GamePass on the platform. Among other things, new information has now surfaced revealing what could be a huge step for the shooter. The latest claims suggest that the next CoD could be the final annual release for the franchise as the company shifts their focus to one game.

Call of Duty could move away from yearly releases after Vanguard struggles

In a report by Bloomberg, it is said that CoD could no longer be a yearly release. “High-level employees at Activision have discussed moving away from the annual release schedule.” This debate has sparked internally following the release of the latest title Call of Duty: Vanguard, which “saw a 36% decline from 2020’s entry in U.K. sales charts.”

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The belief appears to be that if the first-person shooter is released at a slower pace then fans will enjoy the game more. There have also been many problems with Vanguard that haven’t been resolved in the quickest time frame.

If they move away from annual releases, the devs could get Call of Duty into a state that players enjoy both casually and competitively. On the competitive side, a move like this could benefit the CDL as popular esports like League of Legends, CS:GO, and Valorant are all updated instead of swapping titles every year. However, it was also reported that the change may not happen until next year or later. This means that 2022’s rumored Modern Warfare 2 will likely not be the CoD that fans are playing for the next couple of years.

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At the time of writing this, nothing has been made official by Activision. We will update you when more information is provided, in the meantime check out the Call of Duty page for all the latest news.