According to a recent report, Microsoft has established a “new committee” within its Activision division that will make pivotal decisions concerning the future direction of the Call of Duty brand. As per TheGhostOfHope, who has previously provided accurate information on unannounced Call of Duty developments, this new committee will most likely consider input from Call of Duty studios such as Treyarch and Infinity Ward, but ultimately the committee will focus on “features” and “systems” for design in upcoming titles.
Hope further stated that whether a feature like Omnimovement extends beyond Black Ops 6 will be determined by this committee, rather than any specific studio. The insider added that Call of Duty developers are being advised “not to innovate” in “UI, Prestige, and certain gameplay elements.” Instead, the studios are encouraged to develop new directions for aspects like “maps, modes, and storytelling.”
“This is where they want the creativity to emerge from,” Hope remarked.
What I am being informed regarding the future of Call of Duty:
Microsoft has established a new committee under Activision for Call of Duty that will oversee “features” & “systems” at the franchise level and allow the studios to propose ideas. So whether something like Omnimovement, which is new… pic.twitter.com/286dDunn67— Hope (@TheGhostOfHope) November 21, 2024
Regarding the UI specifically, Hope pointed out that Microsoft’s goal is to continue to refine it to be “closer and closer to the older games.” With respect to Omnimovement, one of the developers at Treyarch expressed their hope that it becomes a franchise standard moving forward.
The reactions to Hope’s revelations have been mixed. Some are expressing that they understand this planning approach—after all, Microsoft invested $75.4 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard and understandably seeks a role in decision-making. Others are highlighting the risks of developing products “by committee.”
In particular, some speculate that the now-standard Zombies mode could have been eliminated if the final decision was left to a committee. While we will never know for sure, it is worth noting that Zombies was a last-minute addition to Call of Duty: World at War and almost didn’t happen.
GameSpot has reached out to Microsoft to obtain further details on this issue.
Black Ops 6 launched at the end of October and is breaking records. The Call of Duty series has traditionally been an annual release franchise, and Microsoft has not indicated any intention to change that strategy. Thus, fans can anticipate a new Call of Duty title in 2025.