Activision may halt Call of Duty’s annual release schedule in the near future

Although Microsoft will soon make decisions regarding the future of the Call of Duty franchise, it seems publisher Activision is already pondering a major change in the series. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, top executives within the company have held discussions on whether future mainline games in the franchise should continue to release every year.

The publication’s report claims these talks were partly the result of Call of Duty: Vanguard’s underwhelming performance on the market, seeing a 36 percent decrease in sales in the U.K. compared to 2020 predecessor, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Furthermore, it appears this break in tradition is being seriously considered within Activision; as Schreier reveals, the “shift may not happen until next year or later.” 

It is also believed that the games’ developers favor the change, with the report alleging the teams think a longer development cycle will “please players and bolster the franchise.” This opinion may not come as a surprise to most of the series’ fans, considering that both Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone have been dealing with a myriad of game-breaking bugs over the last few months. 

Related: Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone collaborate with Attack on Titan in 2022’s first update

These gameplay issues have also plagued the series’ plans for the games’ DLC, with Season Two of the multiplayer and battle royale being delayed almost two weeks to prioritize the quality of life updates for the titles.