Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is just a week out from release, and Activision has already started to tease what’s next for the franchise. According to Activision’s Chief Marketing Officer, the next Call of Duty is ready to start yet another era for the long-running FPS franchise, with it reportedly bringing an all-new sub-series to the table.
Set to release in full on October 23, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is technically the seventh entry in the popular Call of Duty sub-series, with a whole trilogy coming before the reboot in 2019. And as even a casual player will know, Modern Warfare is just one half of Call of Duty‘s current output. Call of Duty: Black Ops has seven mainline entries under its belt, and even a poorly received PS Vita spinoff. Though there have been an assortment of one-off Call of Duty entries, Black Ops and Modern Warfare have often taken center stage. But that could change next year.
Next Year’s Call of Duty Will Be an All-New Sub-Franchise
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Image by Josh Drechsler, Source: Activision -
Source: Activision -
Image by Josh Drechsler, Source: Activision
In a recent interview with The Game Business, Activision Chief Marketing Officer Tyler Bahl spoke about the general reception to the Call of Duty franchise’s recent approach to sequels, with Modern Warfare 3 immediately following Modern Warfare 2 in 2023, and Black Ops 7 immediately following Black Ops 6 last year. Bahl admits that this delivery of back-to-back sequels was “not something that our community was looking for,” and that they instead wanted “something fresh” and a unique tonal shift between entries.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Bahl goes on to confirm that a future Call of Duty game is “going to be a new sub-franchise,” teasing that an upcoming Call of Duty entry will not belong to Black Ops, Modern Warfare, or any other pre-established sub-series, but instead offer something entirely new. While the content and subject matter of this all-new sub-franchise is not confirmed by Bahl, they confirm that the developers have “already laid the groundwork” for the new entry.
In the interview, Tyler Bahl only refers to this upcoming game as a “future title,” but reputable Call of Duty reporter CharlieIntel has claimed on Twitter that this new sub-franchise will get its start in 2027, and that it’ll be primarily developed by Sledgehammer Games. For over a decade now, Sledgehammer Games has been a sort of third wheel for the Call of Duty franchise, with it delivering a handful of one-off entries in between Black Ops and Modern Warfare releases, such as Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, WWII, and most recently, Call of Duty: Vanguard.
Rumors of a new Call of Duty sub-franchise being developed by Sledgehammer Games first reared their head in July 2025, when well-known Call of Duty leaker GhostOfHope claimed as much on Twitter. The leaker also claimed that Call of Duty 2027 will feature a modern setting, and while it won’t contain any jetpacks, movement mechanics will be a core focus of the game.
- Released
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October 23, 2026
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op