Former Call of Duty Boss Slams Microsoft’s Track Record: “I’m Immensely Worried” for the Series

The man who helped build Call of Duty into gaming’s defining shooter doesn’t mince words about the series’ future under the Xbox banner. Glen Schofield, who spent nearly a decade at Sledgehammer Games directing Modern Warfare 3 (2011), Advanced Warfare (2014), and WWII (2017), says he’s “immensely worried” Microsoft will hurt Call of Duty in ways fans and developers alike can’t ignore.

Speaking at Gamescom Asia in Bangkok, Schofield voiced his scepticism directly: “Because what’s happening to Gears of War, where’s Halo… you know what I mean?” he told VGC. He described a persistent pattern: “You look at EA, you look at these big companies, and I’m like where’s the Strike games? Where’s this game? And there’s so many that just fall by the wayside.”

Culture Clashes and Lost Identity

At the heart of Schofield’s anxiety is Microsoft’s 2023 acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. That deal pulled Call of Duty into the Xbox ecosystem, promising sweeping changes, from business models to internal culture. Schofield warns that such corporate takeovers rarely end well for beloved franchises.

“Once you’re assimilated by one of these companies, I think you take on some of their traits,” he said. In particular, he suspects a big shift in how creators are motivated: “I don’t know, but I would imagine that the Call of Duty bonus system is out, and now you have theirs, and people are going to go ‘that isn’t that’.” For Schofield, these bonuses weren’t just perks; they drove ambition and creativity that set Call of Duty apart. He doesn’t see that culture surviving under Microsoft, especially as history repeats itself across other once-mighty franchises.

“They just aren’t as good. They aren’t the same,” Schofield admitted of recent Call of Duty entries. And he’s blunt about quality since he and key colleagues left: “Since I left Sledgehammer, none of the games have been very good. I mean, the last one [Modern Warfare 3 (2023)] was a 50. They still sell well. You know, that happens. You move. I always wonder, ‘why did you take that guy out, it’s not going to work later,’ and very few times does that work.”

The Microsoft Playbook: Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Decline?

Microsoft will no doubt highlight the record-setting launch of Black Ops 6 as proof that CoD is thriving. In terms of players, it was the franchise’s biggest Earth-shaking debut, thanks in part to its day-one launch on Xbox Game Pass. But Schofield points to a sharper drop-off in player numbers post-launch and draws a direct connection between team upheaval and declining fan passion. “As a matter of fact, Modern Warfare 3 was the last Call of Duty to win Action Game of the Year, and my other two games were nominated for it. But now, you know, you don’t see them.”

Part of his pessimism stems from the studio brain-drain. Since Schofield’s departure from Sledgehammer in 2019, co-founder Michael Condrey and Black Ops icon David Vonderhaar have both moved on. “You move. I always wonder ‘why did you take that guy out, it’s not going to work later’, and very few times does that work.” Only Treyarch, he says, still keeps some spark alive.

Schofield draws a tough comparison to Microsoft’s recent management of its own shooter franchises. “What’s happening to Gears of War, where’s Halo?” he asked. For him, these cautionary tales show the exact risks facing Call of Duty after the merger, IP-rich companies with vast resources, and franchises that dwindle in relevance due to shifting priorities and culture mismatches.

What’s Next: Competition and Uncertainty

Despite these challenges, the machine keeps grinding. The next Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 drops on November 14. Meanwhile, rivals aren’t sleeping: EA’s freshly released Battlefield 6 just celebrated a mammoth launch, moving 7 million copies in three days.

Schofield doesn’t see all this as an inevitable fate, but he’s convinced that unless core studio talent and a culture of excellence survive, even icons like Call of Duty can vanish from the top tier. “I feel like I got lucky. I feel like I was at the heyday of EA during my time there. I mean, it was a who’s who working there. And then when I got to Activision, I made Modern Warfare 3.” Now, he says, things just aren’t the same.