Xbox officially confirms return of a giant franchise

Xbox has confirmed it will be holding a special summer showcase in June for all its latest games, with a special focus on the return of a 'beloved' series.

Fans of Xbox will remember last year's Xbox Game Showcase was a packed affair, with new looks at Fable, Starfield, and tons more besides.

Xbox confirmed on social media: "Like our double-feature last year with Starfield Direct, immediately following the Showcase we’ll be airing a special deep-dive into the next instalment of a beloved franchise."

So, you might well be wondering what this "beloved franchise" could possibly be? Fortunately, we've worked it out already. Although to be fair, it was pretty obvious.

Over on Twitter Xbox posted a teaser of the redacted game. It doesn't really give much away, but we can clearly see a three-headed dog spray painted over what seems to be a government building in the background.

Your first thought from vibes alone might well be Call Of Duty. We know there's a new game coming, summer is usually when the next instalment is announced, and Microsoft now owns Activision and its roster of IPs, making Call Of Duty an Xbox franchise.

But I wouldn't suggest Microsoft is teasing the next Call Of Duty on vibes alone. That would be madness. The confirmation lies with the three-headed dog.

For those who don't follow video game leaks and rumours, the codename for Call Of Duty 2024 is Cerberus. And what is Cerberus? A three-headed dog.

According to the latest leaks, Call Of Duty 2024 will be Call Of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War, a Treyarch-developed sequel to 2020's Cold War.

It's been reported that Treyarch has had four years of development time for this latest Call Of Duty, by far the longest time any Call Of Duty has ever had in the oven.

It would be no surprise, then, to see Xbox really lean into the fact it now owns Call Of Duty by giving the latest release the spotlight during its summer showcase.