New Call Of Duty not coming to PlayStation or Xbox

Yesterday, Activision revealed a brand new Call of Duty game, and I think it’s safe to say that it’s not one that anyone was expecting.

Last year, there were whispers from the rumour mill that we could soon be getting a single-player campaign focusing on iconic character Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley. One insider claimed that Ghost’s story would be just the beginning - it was alleged that a number of characters - new and old - would be expanded upon “with an intimate, episodic look” in some new Modern Warfare II DLC. This tied in to an interview with MWII’s head writer, Brian Bloom, who previously revealed that he was interested in pursuing Ghost’s origin story. Well, spoiler alert, that’s not what this new game is.

This upcoming Call of Duty title - which is currently set to release in 2024 - won’t be coming to PS5 or Xbox Series X. In fact, it isn’t going to be releasing on any consoles at all, because it’s not a video game. I know, I know, that’s probably not what anyone was hoping for, but stick with me here. Activision is teaming up with Arcane Wonders, Genuine Entertainment, and Evolution to create Call of Duty: The Board Game.

I’ll admit, of all the video game series in the world, Call of Duty is one of the hardest to imagine working in a tabletop format, but the description does sound promising. It’ll apparently be a fast-paced strategy game with an “intuitive action system”, and will boast a variety of maps and modes.

“We're thrilled to be partnering with Activision to bring the Call of Duty franchise to the tabletop,” Bryan Pope, lead designer of Call of Duty: The Board Game and CEO of Arcane Wonders said. “As life-long CoD fans, we've worked hard to capture the scope, stakes, and sheer intensity of the video games in ways that CoD fans and board gamers new and old will love. We're looking forward to bringing the unforgettable fun and competitive frenzy of CoD to game night for years to come.”

Preorders for Call of Duty: The Board Game will be going live on Kickstarter this autumn. If nothing else, it certainly sounds intriguing. Maybe this will be the future of the series? Probably not, though.