'This Ain't It': Activision Issues Rare Denial of Standalone Call of Duty Zombies Report

Call of Duty steadfast Activision has issued a rare, if brief, remark to seemingly contradict a assertion it planned to motorboat a standalone Zombies game.

Earlier this week, Call of Duty leaker TheGhostofHope stated connected societal media that Activision was prepping 2 abstracted Call of Duty games for the motorboat of Microsoft's next-gen Xbox console (currently expected to motorboat successful 2027 astatine the earliest).

The assertion described these 2 launches arsenic "a accepted Call of Duty multiplayer and a standalone Zombies rubric presumably developed by Treyarch," and likened their merchandise to erstwhile "Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare Remastered wherever [sic] some released together."

That leak was past picked up by gaming blog Dexerto, to which Activision has present responded utilizing its authoritative Call of Duty societal media account: "The rumor mill moving overtime," Activision wrote. "This ain't it."

Activision typically does not respond to rumors oregon speculation, making this involution notable. That said, the vague quality of the denial makes it unclear precisely which parts of the archetypal assertion Activision is present saying are untrue, oregon whether immoderate constituent of this assertion was existent until plans yet changed.

On societal media, Call of Duty's effect comes specifically successful reply to a thread of tweets discussing the standalone Zombies title, and the assertion it was being prepped arsenic a motorboat rubric for Microsoft's adjacent console.

The archetypal rumor suggested that Microsoft's shifting merchandise plans for its adjacent Xbox hardware had meant that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, the franchise's astir anticipated upcoming release, would nary longer beryllium a motorboat rubric for the next-gen Xbox, arsenic seemingly had been planned. While not yet officially confirmed, Modern Warfare 4 is expected by fans to beryllium this year's Call of Duty introduction — but there's perfectly nary proposition that Microsoft is readying to motorboat caller consoles this year.

Still, immoderate benignant of shakeup to Call of Duty's forthcoming merchandise docket is expected, pursuing Activision's caller pledge to marque important changes to the franchise pursuing the underperformance of Black Ops 7. The steadfast has said it volition ne'er merchandise backmost to backmost games successful the aforesaid sub-brand (Modern Warfare, Black Ops) again, meaning it volition apt request to travel up with different options if it continues with an yearly merchandise schedule.

As for Microsoft's plans for caller consoles, the institution has confirmed it has caller hardware successful the works connected respective occaisons. In 2024, erstwhile Xbox president Sarah Bond said Microsoft was "moving afloat velocity up connected our adjacent procreation hardware, focused connected delivering the biggest technological leap ever successful a generation." A twelvemonth later, the institution publically confirmed its concern with AMD connected its next-generation Xbox project. But a caller study suggested that 2027 was present a blimpish estimation for the company's caller hardware — which alternatively could present get later.

Sony is besides reportedly considering delaying the motorboat of PlayStation 6 to 2028, oregon perchance adjacent later, owed to the ongoing AI-fueled spot crisis.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social