As part of Activision Blizzard’s earnings report, the company confirmed that two of Blizzard’s most anticipated upcoming games, Diablo IV and Overwatch 2, will not release in 2021.
While we didn’t get any new details on the game itself, during an earnings call, Blizzard management said Overwatch 2 passed a significant milestone in December 2020. This involved “hundreds” of developers taking part. Overall, Blizzard said it feels confident about Overwatch 2.
Also during the call, management confirmed that a new Call of Duty game is releasing in 2021, but it did not say which studio is developing it or what franchise it might be.
Management also said that it has learned a lot already from the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone, and this game will remain operational and supported in the future, even when the new mainline game releases.
Black Ops Cold War’s weapons were integrated into Warzone, and it’s expected this will continue with the future mainline Call of Duty games.
If history is any indication, 2021’s Call of Duty game may be coming from Sledgehammer Games. The studio’s last game that it led the development on was 2017’s Call of Duty: WWII, so it appears the team may be up next after Treyarch made 2018’s Black Ops 4, and Infinity Ward developed 2019’s Modern Warfare. Treyarch returned in 2020 with Black Ops Cold War.
Whatever the case, it’s a good time for Call of Duty, as the franchise had its biggest year ever in 2020. Additionally, Activision announced that the entire franchise, dating back to 2003, has now generated $27 billion in revenue.
Also during the call, management said there would be more “remastered” content coming in the future. No further details were provided, but this comment came after it was reported that Vicarious Visions–which is now a Blizzard studio–is working on a Diablo 2 remaster.
For more on Activision Blizzard’s earnings and the latest developments in the Call of Duty franchise, check out the stories below.
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