Call of Duty 2023 has been shrouded in mystery more than any other Call of Duty game in recent memory, however we could be seeing it sooner rather than later.
Call of Duty games are typically revealed in May with the game being shown off at the subsequent E3. However, E3's replacement: Summer Game Fest has been and gone without so much as a peep from Activision. Details on Call of Duty 2023 have been unusually scarce so far, with the only real pieces of news are that it will be a full release (after rumours of the series skipping this year in favour of DLC), and that it's very likely going to be built off of recycled content and scrapped DLC, with rumours suggesting the game will be named Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
However, we could be seeing Call of Duty 2023 pretty soon as Charlie Intel is reporting that Activision has given a behind closed doors look at the game to NBA players at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Activision has been known to show Call of Duty to athletes before official reveals, with Modern Warfare 2's DMZ mode leaking via a NFL preview ( via @ModernWarzone ).
Insider Gaming previously stated that the game is set to release on November 10, 2023 and will indeed be called Modern Warfare 3, so if it's out in a matter of months we'd have to assume the games grand reveal is soon. The report also confirmed that the title would have "campaign, multiplayer, zombies, and a new Warzone 2 map during the title’s first season".
Slam dunk or foul ball?
Call of Duty 2023 looks like it's going to continue the trend of Modern Warfare 3 by being one of the weakest games in the series. I'd love to be wrong, but the mixture of reports about the nature of the game as well as Activision taking unusually long to announce the game just makes me feel like the company isn't the most confident in the project.
When you also consider how weak Warzone 2 has been so far, things aren't looking the best for Call of Duty (although I'm sure it'll sell gangbusters regardless). Sledgehammer Games are a talented studio and clearly have the prowess to make a great Call of Duty (Advanced Warfare was probably the best game of the 2010's outside of Modern Warfare 2019) but considering the weird development process of this title I'm not getting my hopes up.
