Call of Duty could be leaving Modern Warfare after MW4 and its next game might not be Black Ops
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 arrives on October 23, but it could mark the end of Activision's Modern Warfare series, with Black Ops potentially facing the same fate as the next Call of Duty game could launch an entirely new sub-franchise.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is the next highly anticipated release in Activision's ever-popular military shooter series, and it might be time for fans to wave goodbye to Captain Price, Ghost and friends.
Alongside Black Ops, it's one of the franchise's most beloved sub-franchises, but that love affair could soon be coming to an end following comments from Activision's chief marketing officer, Tyler Bahl.
What did Activision say about the future of Modern Warfare after MW4?
When speaking to The Game Business on the topic of Modern Warfare 4, Bahl said: “I don’t want to give any spoilers for the game coming out, but I think in a lot of ways, this is going to be the epic conclusion of this recent series of Modern Warfare.
“It’s not that some characters and pieces can’t live on beyond this and be reinvented, but I think in a lot of ways, we’re excited by closing this chapter and launching a new one.
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“And I think where we go with potential future games is really, we have to innovate, and we have to, what we heard from the audience is they want new, or better, or different. And in a lot of ways, it’s a combination of those things. And so I think we want to make sure that what we bring to the table is exciting.”
READ MORE: Modern Warfare 4 release time, preload, size and early access
What’s next for Call of Duty after Modern Warfare 4?
At this time, we can only speculate. That being said, the prospect of Call of Duty no longer releasing new Modern Warfare or Black Ops games would take some getting used to.
The Modern Warfare series dates back 19 years, with the first entry arriving in 2007 in the form of the legendary Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Including Modern Warfare 4, which launches next week, that will bring the total to seven mainline Modern Warfare games.
As for Black Ops, the series dates back 16 years, with the first game arriving in 2010. There have now been seven mainline entries, with the latest being the rather disappointing Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in 2025. That being said, much like the original Modern Warfare trilogy, the original Black Ops trilogy is well and truly in GOAT territory.
If Activision were to take the bold step of creating a new sub-franchise, it would have to knock it out of the park. That said, it's not like it's the company's first rodeo, as we've seen it try something similar before with Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013), Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014), Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016), Call of Duty: WWII (2017) and Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021).
READ MORE: The best Call of Duty games worth playing before Modern Warfare 4
Call of Duty: World at War (2008) could be considered one of the most successful standalone entries, especially as it later became closely connected to the Black Ops series.
Advanced Warfare and Infinite Warfare may share the word "Warfare" in their names, but neither has a direct connection to the Modern Warfare storyline. However, while these games all have their fans, it's fair to say that none has had quite the same lasting impact as the original Modern Warfare and Black Ops trilogies.
Despite all that, as a returning fan of the series since 2005's Call of Duty 2 on the Xbox 360, I absolutely welcome a potential change. For years, fans have accused the series of becoming stale, despite it remaining incredibly popular year after year. But as the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end”.
We may eventually reach a point where we never see another Modern Warfare or Black Ops game, but I think the Call of Duty series itself is likely to be around for many more years to come.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will be released on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Where to buy Modern Warfare 4?
You can pre-order Modern Warfare 4 across several retailers; currently, Amazon UK has a 14 per cent saving on the RRP of the standard physical edition, reducing it to £59.99 for a limited time only.
Digital Standard Edition
- PS5: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Playstation UK | Walmart
- Xbox: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Green Man Gaming 3% off | Walmart
- PC: CJS CD Keys 10% off
- Switch 2: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Walmart
Digital Vault Edition
- PS5: Playstation UK
- Xbox: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Green Man Gaming 3% off
Standard Physical Edition
Topics: Call Of Duty, Call Of Duty Modern Warfare, Call Of Duty Black Ops, Activision