Call of Duty 2027 Leak Claims a Break From Advanced Warfare 2 — Here's What's Actually Being Reported

What's Actually Being Claimed

Call of Duty's next entry is still more than a year out, but that hasn't stopped the leak machine from spinning up early. According to a string of reports citing the leaker TheGhostOfHope — the same account credited with earlier, accurate calls on Black Ops 7's release timing — Call of Duty 2027 will reportedly break from the franchise's recent pattern of direct sequels and instead launch an entirely new sub-series under developer Sledgehammer Games.

Outlets including Insider Gaming, Gfinity Esports, and 80.lv picked up the claim in December 2025, and it has continued circulating into 2026 without an official response from Activision. The core assertion, as reported: this will not be "Advanced Warfare 2," despite Sledgehammer having developed the original Advanced Warfare in 2014. Instead, the studio is said to be building a fresh identity for the series rather than reviving an old one.

The Reported Details — and Where They Conflict

Several specifics have surfaced across the reporting chain, though not all of them agree with each other:

Setting: Early leaks reportedly placed the game in the late 1990s to early 2000s with original characters. However, the outlet CharlieIntel later pushed back on that specific claim, reportedly stating the timeframe described in the leak was inaccurate and that the game is instead being built around a modern-day setting. TechFinder.ae could not independently verify either version, and readers should treat the time period as unresolved.
Movement system: The reporting suggests Sledgehammer is looking at retaining the Omnimovement traversal system introduced in Black Ops 6, but possibly without tactical sprint as a separate mechanic.
Modes: Zombies is reportedly not planned for this entry, which would be a notable break for a series that has leaned heavily on the mode commercially. The "Gulag"-style "Get High" mode, previously seen in Modern Warfare III (2023), is said to be under consideration for a return.
Create-a-class: There's reported discussion internally about reviving the classic Pick-10 create-a-class system, a fan-favorite from older Call of Duty titles.
No jetpacks: According to the leak, traversal gadgets like jetpacks — a divisive holdover from the Advanced Warfare/Infinite Warfare era — are not currently on the table.

None of this has been confirmed, denied, or even acknowledged by Activision or Sledgehammer Games. With the game reportedly over two years from release, it's also worth remembering that Call of Duty's internal plans have shifted before — this year's slate alone reportedly saw Infinity Ward deliver Modern Warfare 4 after earlier rumors pointed to other projects entirely.

Why the Timing Matters

Activision's annual Call of Duty release has become one of the most closely watched — and most frequently leaked — cycles in gaming, partly because the franchise cycles through three main studios (Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer) on a rotation, and partly because any shift away from established sub-franchises carries real commercial risk. A move away from legacy names like Modern Warfare, Black Ops, or Advanced Warfare toward something unproven would be a notable gamble for a series that leans heavily on brand recognition to hit its launch-week numbers.

It's also a reminder of how far ahead these decisions get made. If accurate, Sledgehammer would have been shaping the direction of a 2027 release while Modern Warfare 4 — this October's entry from Infinity Ward — was still in its final stretch of development.

The Regional Angle

Call of Duty has increasingly used the Gulf as a launchpad rather than an afterthought. Activision partnered with the Saudi Esports Federation for a dedicated Black Ops 7 launch event at SEF Arena in Riyadh in November 2025, and the previous year's Black Ops 6 got a parallel regional spotlight through Abu Dhabi Gaming, according to Gulf News. Neither event involved specifics about a 2027 sub-series, but they underline why any shake-up to the franchise's direction would reverberate through a region that has become one of Call of Duty's higher-profile marketing stops outside North America and Europe.

The Bottom Line

Everything about Call of Duty 2027 right now sits in rumor territory, sourced to a single leaker whose track record is mixed-to-good rather than perfect, and even the specific claims attributed to that leaker don't fully agree with each other across outlets. Readers should treat the "new sub-franchise" framing as the most consistently repeated element, and the setting, modes, and mechanics as considerably softer. Activision typically stays quiet on next-year's Call of Duty until the current year's game has had its moment — so a firmer picture likely won't emerge until well into 2026's holiday season, if not later.