The next Call of Duty has been announced for 2022

This story about modern warfare, boiled down, in 1:31 minutes.

What's the fuss?

The next game in the tried-and-true Call of Duty franchise has been officially announced. Although many may sigh, this looks to be a proper revitalization to the formula.

The situation

Call of Duty, the household name first-person-shooter franchise, is so popular because a sequel has been released every single year since 2005.

• Given that game development is a multi-year process, 3 different studios work separately on their own Call of Duty games in order to fulfill this annual production goal.
• Although each game tries to differentiate itself (i.e. different time eras), sales have been diminishing since 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare likely due to franchise fatigue.

This year is no different, with a new Call of Duty officially teased that will release in the coming months.

• Development responsibilities return to Infinity Ward, responsible for some of the most well-regarded games in the franchise.
• Poised as a sequel to Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, they promise a radically new experience with the implementation of a new game engine and a new battle royale experience to upheave Call of Duty's current aging one.

Boiling it down

Given Infinity Ward's track record of making the best Call of Duty games, the franchise may return to growth once again.

• Despite Call of Duty: Modern Warfare being a 3 year-old game, it still often outperforms its sequels in terms of player count and viewership.
• Given the sequels took place in the WW2 and Cold War eras, there seems to be strong demand to return to a modern day setting.

The announcement seems like Infinity Ward is self-aware that fans are becoming weary of the same gameplay formula every year.

• They've clearly gone out of there way to emphasize serious changes, especially with their battle royale which historically has drawn in the most players.
• With Microsoft's acquisition of Call of Duty's parent company, we also may see some incentives to play the game on Xbox or PC this year.
  

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