Activision has announced a showcase that it says will reveal the future of the Call of Duty franchise. Dubbed Call of Duty Next, the showcase will take place at 1PM ET on September 15th, broadcast on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
According to the press release, the showcase will focus on the upcoming sequel to 2019’s Modern Warfare as well as what it’s calling Warzone 2.0 and the new Warzone mobile experience.
Though it’s the premier jewel in Activision’s crown, Call of Duty has been underperforming lately. Activision Blizzard’s proposal for a $68.7 billion acquisition by Microsoft revealed Call of Duty: Vanguard badly underperformed and did not meet its Q4 expectations. As a result, according to a report by Bloomberg, next year’s game has been delayed, disrupting Call of Duty’s yearly release schedule for the first time since 2005.
Call of Duty is also at the heart of a public spat between Xbox and PlayStation. As Microsoft is in the process of purchasing Activision Blizzard King, Sony is worried that Call of Duty, a heretofore multiplatform game, could become an Xbox exclusive once the deal goes through. In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said that Microsoft wishes to keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation for “several more years” beyond its existing contract. In an interview with Game Industry.biz, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan revealed that “several” in reality meant “three,” also calling the deal “inadequate on every level.”
As mommy and daddy fight over custody, it’s unclear if Call of Duty’s existence as a multiplatform game will be discussed at Call of Duty Next. Tune in on September 15th to find out.
