We already know a few things about this year’s Call of Duty game. Earlier this year, Activision confirmed that the game would skip PS4 and Xbox One (something that wasn’t true for last year’s Black Ops 7). There were also rumours that the game would return to the Modern Warfare series, though that was just a suggestion until last night. Now, as we approach the summer blow-out for all things video games, Infinity Ward has finally confirmed that, yes, it’s making a new Modern Warfare.
The news initially broke via the Call of Duty podcast, before the Activision social media activated the message across the developer’s various accounts. “Yes, we are making the definitive Modern Warfare,” reads a post on the website formally known as Twitter. A follow-up message from newly-installed studio heads Mark Grigsby and Jack O’Hara gives a bit more context:
“We are Infinity Ward.
We build visceral, immersive combat experiences that hit different.
As a new chapter begins for this studio, we’re focused on what defines us: passion, precision, obsession, and an unrelenting drive to make the best entertainment in the industry.
Our next game is the result of that mindset.
Determined. Bold. Relentless. Built by a team pushing every detail, every system, every moment to its limit.
On behalf of everyone at IW, we’re proud of what we’ve been building and excited to finally start sharing it with you.
Mark and Jack
Studio Heads IW”
If you’re curious about the pedigree of these two men, Jack O’Hara has been with the company since 2012, rising through the ranks as a producer on various Call of Duty titles over the past 14 years. Mark Grigsby, however, comes from the animation side, and has been working with CoD since 2005 (though he left for a small period between now and then to work with former CoD veterans Jason West and Vince Zampella in 2010).
There’s a pretty interesting interview with the pair over on IGN that’s a lot more candid than I’d have expected from a Call of Duty activation this early on. It dives into some of the studio philosophies Infinity Ward is implementing for this game, and how it plans to honour the legacy of what’s come before. Call of Duty is a huge title for both Activision and Xbox (who took over the company in 2023), and it’s safe to say there’s a lot riding on this game since Black Ops 7 failed to meet the publisher’s expectations. There are plenty of reasons for that, as Connor dug into with some of the industry’s most decorated analysts, but one of them is simply: fewer people are playing Call of Duty than they have been before.
Can a new Modern Warfare, no matter how definitive, reverse that fortune? I suppose we’ll see later this year. For now, though, we can probably expect the game to be formally revealed soon. And if you’re considering buying Call of Duty this year, please be aware that Microsoft and the Xbox brand remain priority targets of the BDS movement.
