Who Owns Call of Duty?

Call of Duty was created in 2003 by Infinity Ward, a studio founded by former Medal of Honor developers Jason West and Vince Zampella. The original Call of Duty was set during World War II and was released for PC in October 2003. The game was praised for its cinematic single-player campaign, which followed American, British, and Soviet soldiers through key World War II battles. It won several Game of the Year awards and established the franchise as a serious competitor in the first-person shooter genre.

Call of Duty 2 followed in 2005 as a launch title for the Xbox 360, cementing the franchise's position on consoles. The game sold over 5.5 million copies and demonstrated that the franchise could succeed on platforms beyond PC. Infinity Ward continued with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007, which shifted the setting from World War II to contemporary military conflicts. Modern Warfare introduced a multiplayer progression system with experience points, unlockable weapons, and a prestige system that reset progress for additional badges. This progression model became the template for online multiplayer games across the industry and is one of the most influential design decisions in gaming history.

Treyarch took over development with Call of Duty 3 (2006) and later Call of Duty: World at War (2008), which returned to World War II. Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) became the best-selling game of all time in the United States at that point, with over 30 million copies sold worldwide. The Black Ops series established Treyarch as a co-equal development studio with Infinity Ward within the franchise.

Sledgehammer Games joined the rotation with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare in 2014. The three-studio rotation gave each studio three years to develop a title while maintaining Activision's annual release schedule. This model has sustained the franchise for over a decade.

The franchise expanded into mobile and free-to-play markets. Call of Duty: Mobile launched in October 2019 and has been downloaded over 650 million times globally. Call of Duty: Warzone, a free-to-play battle royale mode, launched in March 2020 and attracted over 100 million players within its first year. Warzone became a major revenue driver through in-game purchases and battle pass subscriptions.

The most recent titles include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (2024), and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (2025). The franchise has been the best-selling video game franchise in the United States for 15 consecutive years, according to Circana (formerly NPD Group) data.

Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October 2023 brought Call of Duty under Microsoft's ownership. The first Call of Duty title released under Microsoft's ownership was Modern Warfare III in November 2023. Microsoft added Call of Duty titles to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service starting in 2024, making the franchise available to Game Pass subscribers on the same day as retail release.

In July 2025, Microsoft announced a reorganization of Microsoft Gaming that split Activision Blizzard into two units and included significant layoffs. The restructuring aimed to consolidate management and reduce costs following the acquisition.