Activision Confirms a New Call of Duty Sub-Franchise Is Coming After Modern Warfare 4

Activision's marketing chief says a future Call of Duty will launch a brand-new sub-series, not another Black Ops or Modern Warfare. Here's what's confirmed and what isn't.

For the first time in five years, Call of Duty is about to break out of its two-lane highway. Activision chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl has confirmed that a future Call of Duty game will kick off a brand-new sub-franchise, rather than becoming another Black Ops or Modern Warfare entry. The comments landed in an interview with The Game Business published on October 15, just over a week before Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23.

It's the clearest signal yet that Activision knows the formula needs shaking up after a rough stretch for the series. Here's what was actually said, what's still rumor, and how it fits into the bigger picture.

What Activision confirmed

Speaking to The Game Business, Bahl said Activision has "already stated that a future title is going to be a new sub-franchise," adding that the studio has "already laid the groundwork." According to GamesRadar+, he also said the community wasn't asking for more of the same Modern Warfare and Black Ops rotation, and that the kind of tonal shift players wanted hadn't been delivered since 2021's Call of Duty: Vanguard.

That's the full extent of the official confirmation. Activision has not announced:

• A name or setting for the new sub-series
• Which studio is leading development
• A release year or platforms

Is it the 2027 Call of Duty?

Probably, but not officially. Bahl's wording was "a future title," and the original interview doesn't attach a year to it. Dexerto reports that CharlieIntel's sources point to the new sub-franchise arriving in 2027, which would make it the very next mainline game after Modern Warfare 4. Earlier reports have also claimed it will have a modern-era setting.

Until Activision puts a date on it, treat the 2027 timing as a strong report rather than a confirmed fact. Call of Duty's annual schedule makes it a reasonable bet, but the publisher hasn't said it out loud.

Why this is happening now

This didn't come out of nowhere. In December 2025, the Call of Duty team said in a blog post that it would no longer release back-to-back Modern Warfare or Black Ops games, with the stated goal of delivering a unique experience every year. That announcement followed a harsh reception for Black Ops 7, which arrived just a year after Black Ops 6 and two years after the similarly criticized Modern Warfare 3.

The Game Business paints a stark picture of how Black Ops 7 performed. Its European launch sales were reportedly half those of the previous year's game, and it finished 2025 as only the fifth best-selling game in the US – the series' lowest ranking since World at War in 2008. Battlefield 6, meanwhile, was the best-selling shooter of 2025, ending Call of Duty's long run at the top. Bahl didn't sugarcoat it either, admitting that Activision wasn't happy with every aspect of last year's game.

Interest in Modern Warfare 4 has also been more muted on paper. VGC reports that Circana analyst Mat Piscatella put purchase intent for the game at 15% among US console and PC players in August, compared with 21% for Black Ops 7 at the same point a year earlier.

A fresh sub-series is Activision's answer to the fatigue. Since 2022, the lineup has gone Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops 6, Black Ops 7 and now Modern Warfare 4 – five straight entries in the same two branches.

The "Call of Duty tax"

The same interview produced another talking point. Asked whether press coverage of Call of Duty has dropped, Bahl said the company refers to it internally as the "Call of Duty tax" – the idea that the franchise is so big its work gets taken for granted. To make his case, he pointed to roughly 4,500 people working on the series, 100 million free-to-play players, 500 million units sold and a mobile game with a billion downloads.

Bahl also raised eyebrows by calling Call of Duty and GTA 6 "the two biggest games of the year," with a cheeky "no offense to Zelda" aimed at Nintendo's Ocarina of Time remake.

Modern Warfare 4: the end of a chapter

Before any new sub-series arrives, Activision is betting big on Modern Warfare 4. Bahl described it as a return to a grounded military shooter and as "the epic conclusion" of the current Modern Warfare storyline – another hint that the series is clearing the decks for something new.

Here's where MW4 stands right now:

The Switch 2 version is a milestone of its own: it's the first Call of Duty on a Nintendo platform since Ghosts in 2013. Bahl told The Game Business that Activision is "rebuilding this relationship" with Nintendo, which he described as fully on board.

What it means for players

If you're tired of the Black Ops and Modern Warfare ping-pong, this is good news – at least in principle. A new sub-franchise means new characters, a new identity and, ideally, fewer of the recycled ideas that dragged down recent entries. The flip side is risk: Vanguard, the last attempt at a fresh sub-series, underperformed in 2021 and never got a sequel.

For now, the details are thin. Expect Activision to keep the spotlight on Modern Warfare 4 through launch and its first seasons, with a proper reveal of the next game likely coming much later. When the new sub-series is officially named, we'll have the full breakdown.

This article was written by AI (Claude) and checked against the sources above. Games are updated regularly, so details may change.