According to a leak relayed by @TheGhostOfHope, one of the most followed leakers in the Call of Duty sphere, the next opus planned for 2026 would be good Modern Warfare 4. But the news isn’t good: “Modern Warfare 4, in its current state, is a carbon copy of Modern Warfare II, with the exception of the perk recharge system and reduced aiming and sliding penalties.”
A statement which immediately caused the community to react, still marked by the release considered lazy by Modern Warfare 3 in 2024, described as simply overpriced DLC by many fans. Above all, MW2 (2022), from which this new episode would be strongly inspired, is one of the lowest rated games in the entire series with a user rating of 5.3 on Metacritic.
Community fears new recycling from Infinity Ward
The return of a Modern Warfare 4 not very innovative sparks a wave of criticism on social networks. Some fans, tired of seeing the series go in circles, are even calling for the 2026 episode to be canceled altogether. “MW4 is going to be the worst Call of Duty of all time,” writes a user, imploring Infinity Ward not to continue on this path.
While Activision had promised to no longer chain annual releases to give the studios time to renew themselves, this leak gives the impression that nothing has changed. “Ending back-to-back releases doesn’t mean much if the new game is just a repeat,” sums up the article perfectly. TheGamer.
A leak that comes at a bad time in the face of GTA 6
The year 2026 already promises to be decisive for the market: Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to be the biggest launch in video game history. In this context, relaunching a clone of MW2 could prove catastrophic for Call of Duty. As the article points out: “Relaunching a three-year-old game won’t be enough, and it proves how little Activision has learned.”
The comparison is brutal. On the one hand, Rockstar promises a revolution in open-world gaming. On the other hand, Infinity Ward seems to recycle the formulas of an episode already criticized by players.
Black Ops 7, an ignored warning signal?
The poor reception of Black Ops 7released at the end of 2025, should have alerted the publisher. Between virulent criticism, disappointing sales and flight of players towards Battlefield 6 Or Arc Raidersall signals are red. Activision had announced that it wanted to slow down the pace. But if MW4 confirms the trend, this change of pace could just be a smokescreen.
Should we then postpone the 2026 episode? Many fans are already asking for it. Some believe that it would be better to continue supporting Black Ops 7while waiting for a real overhaul of the franchise. For now, no official response has been given by Activision or Infinity Ward.