Call of Duty 2023 is most likely to be a competitive FPS. CoD's answer to Valorant. Here's why. <br><em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>isn't releasing a mainline game in 2023. Activision has, for the first time in decades, delayed the next major <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>game after <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II </em>(2022) into 2024, and 2024's <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>will be developed by Treyarch. But <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>is getting a free-to-play release in 2023, and Treyarch has been working on this upcoming game. <br>Many have speculated this game will be a standalone zombies game, a mobile game, or even a 6v6 traditional <em data-v-2bf0f929>CoD </em>multiplayer version of <em data-v-2bf0f929>Warzone</em>, but few have realized the other possibility: a F2P, competitive, tactical <em data-v-2bf0f929>CoD </em>that competes with the likes of <em data-v-2bf0f929>Rainbow Six Siege</em>, <em data-v-2bf0f929>Valorant</em>, and <em data-v-2bf0f929>Counter-Strike: Global Offensive</em>. In this article, we'll explain why Treyarch's free-to-play <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty</em> 2023 could be an esports <em data-v-2bf0f929>Valorant</em>/<em data-v-2bf0f929>CS:GO</em> competitor.<br><em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>already has a popular, successful mobile game: <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty: Mobile</em>. That isn't going away anytime soon. Plus, job listings have been posted at Activision searching for people to help build <em data-v-2bf0f929>Warzone </em>on mobile, so that's another mobile <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>game we can expect in the coming years.<br><strong data-v-2bf0f929>Related: <a href="/article/call-of-duty-warzone-2-everything-you-need-to-know-release-date-gameplay-details-maps-and-more" data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty: Warzone 2 Everything You Need to Know: Release Date, Gameplay Details, Maps, and More</a></strong><br>It doesn't really make sense to have a third mobile game in the same way it doesn't really make sense to launch a standalone Zombies game. Yes, <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>Zombies has been and remains popular, but fans of the cooperative side mode are dwarfed by fans of the multiplayer mode. <br>Simply put, Zombies is a safe third mode for mainline <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>games, and Activision can make more money by targeting fans of <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>multiplayer than they can targeting fans of <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>Zombies, so there isn't much incentive for Activision to have Treyarch develop <em data-v-2bf0f929>Vanguard </em>Zombies after <em data-v-2bf0f929>Cold War </em>Zombies before a standalone Zombies game which would be followed by Zombies in Treyarch's next major <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty</em>.<br>There's neither reason to burn fans out on Zombies content nor enough incentive to build out a full-fledged Zombies game, and even if Activision did, they risk jeopardizing sales of the mainline <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>games if gamers can get their Zombies fix elsewhere.<br><strong data-v-2bf0f929>Related: <a href="/article/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-ii-2022s-new-open-world-spec-ops-replacement-dmz-mode-explained" data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)'s New Open-World Spec Ops Replacement DMZ Mode Explained</a></strong><br>This is also the most major reason why Activision wouldn't launch a free-to-play 6v6 traditional <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>multiplayer game in the style of <em data-v-2bf0f929>Warzone </em>as its 2023 game: The company doesn't want to risk pulling people away from their annual <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>games with free-to-play <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>side offerings.<br>Naturally, launching another battle royale wouldn't make sense, especially as <em data-v-2bf0f929>Warzone 2 </em>approaches, and the era of hero shooters has largely ended, with games like <em data-v-2bf0f929>Overwatch </em>dominating the charts a lot less than they once did. But games like <em data-v-2bf0f929>Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege</em>, and <em data-v-2bf0f929>Counter-Strike </em>remain ever popular.<br><em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>isn't going to try something radically new and launch a third-person shooter. This series isn't known for its radical innovations and whacky spins on its formula. <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>is one of the biggest franchises in video games, so if you want to know what the future looks like, look at what else is successful.<br><strong data-v-2bf0f929>Related: <a href="/article/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-wars-new-remastered-map-wmd-year-2-content-updates" data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's New Remastered Map WMD + Year 2 Content Updates</a></strong><br>The obsession with hero shooters led to <em data-v-2bf0f929>Black Ops 4</em>. The battle royale craze led to <em data-v-2bf0f929>Warzone</em>. And for the last few years, the biggest thing in shooters has been competitive, tactical action in the form of games like <em data-v-2bf0f929>Valorant</em>, <em data-v-2bf0f929>CS:GO</em>, or <em data-v-2bf0f929>Rainbow Six Siege. </em>While these are very different games, shooters focused on balanced, competitive action with an emphasis on teamwork, strategy, and skill have been the big thing in shooters outside of battle royale.<br><em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>has never really done this before, but Treyarch is the studio that's come closest to doing so. Starting with <em data-v-2bf0f929>Black Ops 2</em>, Treyarch has brought League Play to <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty</em>, which is the series' form of ranked play. Treyarch's even working with Sledgehammer on <em data-v-2bf0f929>Vanguard </em>for that game's ranked mode.<br>Treyarch has been designing ranked <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>modes for a long time, and League Play is generally considered to be the best form of ranked play in <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty</em>, as opposed to competitive modes in Infinity Ward or Sledgehammer games. <br><strong data-v-2bf0f929>Related: <a href="/article/free-to-play-call-of-duty-2023-explained-no-call-of-duty-isnt-skipping-a-year" data-v-2bf0f929>Free-to-Play Call of Duty 2023 Explained (No, Call of Duty Isn't Skipping a Year)</a></strong><br>However, the biggest problem with the mode is that fans perpetually feel like it's never given enough attention, like it's never fully featured enough. This has historically been thought to be the case because so few <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>players bother leaving the normal multiplayer for League Play. It's a vicious cycle: Fans would like a great ranked mode, but because they don't play the ranked modes as they exist, Activision assumes they don't want them.<br>Considering the popularity of competitive FPS games nowadays, a full-featured, standalone <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>focused on competitive action makes a lot of sense. Plus, since the mode is never that big of a deal in mainline <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>games, removing it from future games wouldn't impact sales, and if you wanted <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>multiplayer, you'd play the mainline games anyways.<br>Modern <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>games have a shadowy matchmaking system called SBMM that tries to match you against players of a similar skill level in normal play, so a ranked mode can feel redundant. This is also a major reason why many are reluctant to engage with a ranked <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>experience. However, SBMM is rumored to be being overhauled in the upcoming <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II </em>(2022), which is also slated to be supported for two years.<br><strong data-v-2bf0f929>Related: <a href="/article/call-of-duty-will-be-an-xbox-exclusive" data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty Will Be an Xbox Exclusive</a></strong><br>This change would make a lot of sense in conjunction with a League Play-style standalone release, giving <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>fans the forever option to play their series' version of <em data-v-2bf0f929>Valorant </em>while keeping the mainline <em data-v-2bf0f929>Call of Duty </em>games about fun. And as the creators of League Play, Treyarch is the natural choice of studio to design such a game.<br><br><br><a href="https://epicstream.com/article/treyarchs-free-to-play-call-of-duty-2023-could-be-an-esports-valorantcsgo-competitor">source</a>
