Last week, Xbox's Call of Duty team put out a statement announcing that there'll be no more "back-to-back" Modern Warfare or Black Ops games in the series following poor sales for Black Ops 7 - and a new rumour doing the rounds today suggests that a "new sub-franchise" is on the way in 2027 from developer Sledgehammer Games.
Originating from well-known COD leaker TheGhostOfHope, Sledgehammer's next Call of Duty game "will be a new sub franchise with completely new characters set in the late 1990s/early 2000s". The insider has also shared a little more information on what they've heard about Xbox's COD game currently set for 2027:
Now, it's worth noting that this is merely a rumour at the moment, and this leaker has a mixed track record when it comes to the accuracy of their findings. Still, with it believed to be 'Modern Warfare 4' from Infinity Ward coming next year, it does make sense that Sledgehammer might look to do something new in 2027 - especially after the recent Black Ops 6 to 7 backlash. Only time will tell if this info ends up being accurate.
Before we sign off here, the developer of next year's COD actually posted yesterday to warn not to "believe everything you read on the internet" regarding franchise rumours. We're heeding that warning, Infinity Ward, but it's fun to speculate nonetheless.