Activision Believes GTA 6 Will Boost Modern Warfare 4: 'No Offense to Zelda, but [GTA and COD] Are the 2 Biggest Games of the Year'

Activision is confident that GTA 6 will be a boon for Call of Duty, not a competitor, with the company expecting Modern Warfare 4 and Rockstar's massive title to become the two biggest games of 2026.

In a chat with The Game Business, Activision CMO Tyler Bahl was asked about the possibility of GTA 6 and the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake both dropping in November, creating a video game 'Barbenheimer' event that could overshadow Call of Duty.

But Bahl argued that Call of Duty deserves a spot in that conversation, noting that the heightened focus on gaming, along with the inevitable surge in PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S sales that GTA 6 will drive, will actually give Call of Duty a significant boost.

"Well, no offense to Zelda, but [GTA and COD] are the two biggest games of the year," he said. "More people logging into their consoles, dusting off their Xbox or PlayStation and jumping back in, loading up that experience—that means more eyes on us overall.

"At the end of the day, what makes Call of Duty stand the test of time is the community and social experience. The idea of playing with your friends. When we look at our research and ask, 'What are the most exciting things about our games? Is it the combat or the gunplay?' It's actually, 'My friends were there.' Or, 'I get to spend time with my friends.' We stand on our own there, where being able to play with your friends on all different platforms, from Switch 2 this year—which is a new platform for us—all the way to PC and Xbox and PlayStation still, I think makes it a unique opportunity."

"If more people are talking about games, if there's more press around it, that's going to be 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 high-profile commercial disappointment for the company. Bahl admitted Activision's strategy of releasing sub-brand sequels back-to-back (Modern Warfare 2 and 3, then Black Ops 6 and 7) simply hadn't worked out, and fans wanted something fresh.

"It was not something that 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 lots of new features, that tonal shift is something that they were looking for.

"So, we've already stated that a future title is going to be a new sub-franchise and we've already laid the groundwork there. But we're really excited about what we have to offer with Modern Warfare 4, and that addresses some of that feedback we heard so loud from the community."

Activision had already hinted that Modern Warfare 4 would bring this version of the sub-brand to an end, and Black Ops developer Treyarch has stated it's moving on from Black Ops to work on something new. 2027, then, looks set for a brand new Call of Duty sub-brand.

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

Modern Warfare 4 kicks off tomorrow with the launch of campaign early access (check out the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 global release times here). The Ocarina of Time remake comes out November 5. GTA 6, meanwhile, comes out November 19.