Activision Thinks GTA 6 Will Actually Help Modern Warfare 4: 'No Disrespect to Zelda, but [GTA and COD] Are the Two Biggest Games of the Year.'

Activision believes GTA 6 will benefit Call of Duty rather than hinder it, expecting Modern Warfare 4 and Rockstar's giant to become two major games of 2026.

Activision believes that GTA 6 will benefit Call of Duty rather than hinder it, with the expectation that Modern Warfare 4 and the Rockstar giant will become the two big games of 2026.

In an interview with The Game Business, Activision Marketing Director Tyler Bahl was asked about the prospect of GTA 6 and the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive remake, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, both coming out in November and creating a video game called Barbenheimer that might eclipse Call of Duty.

However, Bahl said that Call of Duty should be considered part of the conversation, insisting that Call of Duty will be hit by the increased focus on all things gaming, as well as the inevitable boost in PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S sales that GTA 6 will bring.

"Well, no offense to Zelda, but [GTA and COD] are the two biggest games of the year," he said. “The more people that log into the dashboard, the more people will dust off their Xbox or PlayStation and start playing again, and loading that experience will be more eye-catching for us overall.

In the end, what makes Call of Duty stand the test of time is the social and community experience. The idea of ​​being able to play with your friends. When we look at our research and say, “What are the most exciting things about our games? Is this a fight or a gun game? In fact, “my friends were there. or "I can hang out with my friends." We stand there, where we are, on our own. You can play with your friends on all different platforms, from the Switch 2 this year - which is a new platform for us - to PC and Xbox and PlayStation. Still, I think that makes it a unique opportunity.

"If more people talk about the Games, if there's more press around it, it's good for everybody, not just us," he continued.

Activision needs Modern Warfare 4 to improve upon last year's effort, Black Ops 7, which was a major commercial disappointment for the company. Bahl admitted that Activision's strategy of releasing sequels back-to-back (Modern Warfare 2 and 3, then Black Ops 6 and 7) simply wasn't working, and fans wanted something fresh.

"It wasn't what our community was looking for," Bahl admitted. "They wanted something new and fresh. And even though there were different time settings, and different ways to play the game, and a lot of new features, that change of tune is what they were looking for.

"So, we've already announced that the upcoming title will be a new sub-franchise and we've already established a foundation there. But we're really excited about what we're delivering with Modern Warfare 4, and it addresses some of the feedback we've heard loudly from the community."

Are you more excited for the Call of Duty movie or the Battlefield movie?

Activision previously hinted that Modern Warfare 4 would end this version of the sub-brand, and Black Ops developer Treyarch announced it was moving on from Black Ops to work on something new. So, it looks like 2027 is ripe for a whole new Call of Duty sub-brand.

"Wherever we go with future games, we have to innovate," Bahl said. "What we heard from the audience is that they want new or better or different. The landscape is changing right under our feet. You see new games being made overnight and you see tastes change and how people want to play."

Modern Warfare 4 kicks off tomorrow with the campaign's Early Access launch (see Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 global release times here). Ocarina of Time Remake will be released on November 5th. GTA 6, meanwhile, releases on November 19.

Wesley is the managing editor of IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Wesley can be reached at @wesley_yinpoole or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.