Activision Working on 'Next Era' of Call of Duty, Won't Do Back-to-Back Black Ops, Modern Warfare Releases

Activision is changing its launch strategy for Call of Duty games going forward. The publisher will no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or Black Ops games. The decision comes weeks after the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which was the first consecutive Black Ops release in Call of Duty history.

The Call of Duty maker shared its new strategy in a Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 update on its website. Activision said the future of Call of Duty was “strong,” but laid out a new release strategy for the franchise going forward.

“We will no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or Black Ops games,” the company said in the post. “The reasons are many, but the main one is to ensure we provide an absolutely unique experience each and every year.

“We will drive innovation that is meaningful, not incremental. While we aren't sharing those plans today, we look forward to doing so when the time is right.”

Activision's new strategy follows the underwhelming launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which was the first back-to-back Black Ops release in franchise history. Last year, Activision launched Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

'Next Era' of Call of Duty

The company, however, presented an optimistic front in its update. Activision said it was working on the “next era” of Call of Duty that would deliver what players wanted.

“To be clear, the future of Call of Duty is very strong and we believe our best days are ahead of us given the depth and talent of our development teams,” Activision said. “We have been building the next era of Call of Duty, and it will deliver precisely on what you want along with some surprises that push the Franchise and the genre forward. We look forward to welcoming you in, listening to you, and moving forward together.”

In addition to the update on the future of Call of Duty, Activision thanked fans and acknowledged that the franchise had not met expectations. “To be very clear, we know what you expect and rest assured we will deliver, and overdeliver, on those expectations as we move forward,” Activision said.

The company also announced that players will be able to play Black Ops 7 multiplayer and Zombies modes for free next week. Activision also promised “unprecedented seasonal support” for Black Ops 7.

“Season 01 is the largest live season ever and we're just getting started. We won't rest until Black Ops 7 earns its place as one of the best Black Ops games we've ever made,” Activision said.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launched on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X on November 14.