Reportedly, Call of Duty 1, 2, and World at War could receive remastered releases as Activision attempts to make up for the gap between premium installments. This rumor makes the rounds several weeks after a Bloomberg report claimed Activision plans on ditching Call of Duty's annual release model following Vanguard's relatively poor performance. The mega-publisher has since denied as much, issuing a statement that insists free-to-play and premium projects are in the works for this calendar year, 2023, and beyond.
While Call of Duty: Vanguard still topped the charts in 2021, its sales were on the decline compared to Black Ops Cold War's late 2020 release. The full scope of its shortcomings remains under lock and key for the time being, however. Truthfully, even a marginal change in revenue earned is bound to look worrisome when considering that 2020 marked the Call of Duty brand's most successful year to date, thanks to the remarkable success of the MTX-laden Mobile and Warzone experiences. Of course, Microsoft's pending buyout of Activision Blizzard could play a major role in the future of Call of Duty, as well. But a new report suggests the latter company already has plans in place for a few upcoming releases.
According to Call of Duty leaker Ralph (via DualShockers), Activision intends to fill the "empty space between premium" COD entries by remastering classic experiences. Ralph noted in a Twitter post that Call of Duty 1, 2, and 2008's World at War count as the installments set to receive the remastered treatment. Apparently, the publisher also plans on porting Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered to the Nintendo Switch. The leaker made no mention of when these projects will supposedly hit store shelves.
It's unclear whether Ralph's claims operate under the belief that a paid Call of Duty title won't launch this holiday season. In other words - will these remasters close the gap between annual releases or will they launch in place of the yearly November outing? Assuming the above rumors prove accurate, these details remain a mystery for the time being.
Most interesting about this supposed leak is that Call of Duty 1, 2, and World at War all take place during the Second World War. It seems a little excessive given COD: Vanguard also dropped players into the throes of World War II. Perhaps this is simply the epoch of WWII-set Call of Duty adventures? If so, many a fan may find a return to some of the earlier entries well worth the effort in the end.
Source: Ralph/Twitter (1, 2) (via DualShockers)