Activision won’t release a Call of Duty game in 2023. Bloomberg reports that for the first time in the franchise, the game will be without an annual release. This marks the first time in over two decades that players won’t have a new Call of Duty game to play in a new year.

According to the report, Activision is taking a break from Call of Duty for one year due to the series failing to meet its expectations. Executives at Activision believe that they are introducing new versions of the game too rapidly. This has nothing to do with the recent Activision X Microsoft acquisition.

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We know that Activision is working on new projects to fill the gap. There’s a new Call of Duty game coming our way this year which is reportedly a Modern Warfare 2 release. In addition, reports claim that the publisher is working on a new free-to-play online game for 2023. Treyarch is currently helping with this free game while also working on the next Call of Duty game set to launch in 2024.

While this missing Call of Duty isn’t a concern at the moment, it might have quite a substantial impact on the gaming industry next year. Call of Duty has released an annual title every year since 2005. Not only does Activision rely on these annual releases but these games also help push hardware sales across the board. The game usually hits No 1 worldwide and sells millions of units. Even with the decline in sales.

Speaking of which, the recent Call of Duty Vanguard didn’t do too well for Activision. However, much of this is the publisher’s fault. Activision’s launch of the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone remains the most successful entry in the series. Unfortunately, the game has also moved players away from investing in new annual Call of Duty games.

The announcement of the game’s delay hasn’t gone down too well with investors either. Activision shares have dropped 1.4% since the announcement.

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Source: Bloomberg