Summary
Microsoft’s next Xbox console may be the home ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 4when it launches, according to a prominent leaker. While Xbox has made no official announcement about its next-gen system, the current console generation is quickly coming to an end as the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 enter their fifth year on the market. When the new Xbox console is revealed,Call of Dutycould help bring players to the platform.
TheCall of Dutyfranchise has been a huge economic boon for Microsoft since the company acquired Activision Blizzard. Sales ofBlack Ops 6helped Microsoft become the world’s top game publisherin late 2024, with more than half of that spending coming from Microsoft titles likeCoDon other platforms. Given how successful the franchise has been for the company, it makes sense that it may want to use it to bolster the launch of its next-gen hardware.
Notable leaker TheGhostOfHope shared news regardingCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 4on Twitter, saying it will be released sometime in 2026. Beyond that, they say devs are working on it using development kits for the next-gen Xbox. Reportedly,Call of Duty 2026will skip the last gen, but if this rumor is true, it will appear on whatever follows the Series X and S to make up for the lack of Xbox One support. TheGhostOfHope did not specify if it would be a launch title for the next-gen Xbox or if it would come out on Series X first and come to the newer platform once it releases, but either way, it could be a way for Microsoft to promote its latest system.
Leaker Claims Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Is Being Developed on Next-Gen Xbox Hardware
It’s worth noting that this report seemingly conflicts with some earlier rumors. One insider has claimed thatthe next-gen Xbox just received approval, so Microsoft would only be starting to make the first dev kits for the system if that’s true. As a Microsoft-owned franchise,Call of Dutymay be able to get access to this hardware before other studios can use it, or teams could be using earlier prototypes, but the two rumors suggest slightly differing timelines. If the nextModern Warfaretitle is only in its planning stages, that may match up with the next-gen console not being as far along yet, but that would make a 2026 release difficult to accomplish.
Of course, both reports are unconfirmed so far, so it’s unclear if either is true or if they each only have pieces of correct information. What the new Xbox could do for theCall of Dutyfranchise is also uncertain, but some possibilities look promising. There are rumors thatthe next Xbox lineup will include a handheld, and if so, fans may be able to playModern Warfare 4on the go without the limitations of a mobile version of the game. For now, though, players will have to wait for official information from Activision or Microsoft to learn more.
