Earlier this month, a report emerged that Microsoft was forming a new committee within Activision to guide the future of the Call of Duty franchise. Now, that future may be coming into focus as a new report suggests that Sledgehammer Games will be taking the lead on Call of Duty's 2027 release.

TheGhostOfHope--a Call of Duty leaker who has accurately reported on previous developments in the franchise--is reporting that Sledgehammer Games' next Call of Duty game will follow Infinity Ward's 2026 title, "which is presumably [Modern Warfare 4]." Hope also stated that Sledgehammer Games' COD is possibly Advanced Warfare 2 or "something new."

Because Activision releases new Call of Duty games annually, a number of the publisher's smaller development studios are working on concurrent projects in order to maintain that pace. Sledgehammer Games has assisted other Activision studios on several Call of Duty games, while leading development on a handful of its own titles, including 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.