The annual release of a new Call of Duty title is one of gaming's most reliable wagers. The veteran shooter series is revered for its twitchy gunplay, claustrophobic map design, and stellar visuals. Each and every fall season since 2005 has been accompanied, whether players like it or not, by another entry in the franchise. With the 18th installment into the Call of Duty series, Call of Duty: Vanguard, fans were largely displeased with its condition upon release. Developer Sledgehammer Games looks to have responded by reportedly delaying its 2023 installment.
2022 will still see the arrival of a mainline Call of Duty title, which even seems to be cross-gen, so fans of the series are likely to be satisfied through this calendar year. However, the next iteration on the almost two-decade-old formula, likely to be developed by Treyarch, will not sit in its usual November release window. Microsoft's acquisition of publisher Activision Blizzard is a likely catalyst for the delay, as the news comes just one month after the company bought the publisher. Call of Duty is a series committed to annual releases for years, so the pressure was going to catch up eventually. The news of a delay to the 2023 game is proof of that.
Call of Duty: Vanguard's Critical and Commercial Disappointment
In comparison to its predecessors, Call of Duty: Vanguard was a relative commercial failure. For the first time since 2007, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare laid the groundwork for all future releases, Activision's crowning first-person shooter began to show its age in the face of Halo's resurgence with Halo Infinite. The Call of Duty license faced steep competition in 2021, and the twitchy, laser-focused gameplay felt like a relative dinosaur in comparison to some of its contemporaries.
That's not to say it didn't advance the formula somewhat, as many praised its Combat Pacing mechanic, which granted players a level of agency over their experience. Call of Duty: Vanguard, for all intents and purposes, isn't a bad game, but its failure to meet fans' expectations or sales targets means the inevitability of a delay presented itself earlier than many would have expected. Vanguard was the proverbial straw that broke the Call of Duty camel's back, and coupled with the sky-high expectations Microsoft has for the series' sales moving forward, made a surprising delay all the more predictable.
A Delay Announcement May Be A Blessing In Disguise
By releasing a new title each and every year, Call of Duty is a series that caters to fans, strictly on an annual basis. Each game is only really designed to be played until the next hits shelves, so the announcement of a delay on the horizon means the 2022 sequel to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will have to alter its approach to longevity slightly. The distaste for any new Call of Duty game only lingers for a short time, largely because fans need only wait 12 months for the next, so the next game in the genre-defining series will need to provide a substantial enough experience to last potentially months past what its predecessors offered.
In any case, altering the annual release schedule was inevitable, and it's a surprise that Call of Duty hasn't broken the mold before now. However, other franchises have proved that this doesn't have to be a bad thing. From Grand Theft Auto 4, to Assassin's Creed Origins, breaking the twelve-month cycle often results in a more well-rounded, and satisfying experience, which may serve the series well in the long-run.
An Inconsequential Inevitability
Call of Duty's huge fanbase, as well as its prominence in the video game sphere, means that the series is in a prime position to handle a slight postponement in the warfare festivities. While many smaller developers would surely be far harder hit by a delay of its project, Activision and Treyarch have the resources to manage such a comparatively significant delay. A well-earned break in the much-loved and equally-loathed Call of Duty series was something that many has seen coming for a good long while now, but its delay will, ultimately, prove largely inconsequential.
Call of Duty 2022 is in development at Infinity Ward.