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Glen Schofield Worried About Call of Duty's Future Under Microsoft

Last Updated: November 16, 2025

Glen Schofield, veteran game developer, expressing concern.

Glen Schofield, a veteran designer and director whose name is synonymous with the blockbuster rise of Call of Duty and the creation of the iconic Dead Space series, has publicly voiced significant apprehension regarding the franchise's direction and quality under Microsoft's ownership. In a statement that ignited a widespread conversation across the gaming community, Schofield said he is "immensely worried" about the state of the modern first-person shooter giant, suggesting a decline in its celebrated standards.

Coming from an industry architect whose work helped define the genre, his concerns carry substantial weight, reflecting a sentiment that has grown among players following recent releases.

A Legacy Forged in Modern Warfare

To understand the gravity of Glen Schofield's concerns, one must appreciate his foundational contributions to the FPS landscape. As the co-founder of Sledgehammer Games, Schofield was a driving creative force behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. His work helped solidify the cinematic, high-octane single-player campaigns and robust multiplayer suites that defined the series' golden era. Before that, his leadership at Visceral Games resulted in the survival-horror masterpiece Dead Space. Schofield's design philosophy has consistently centered on high production values, compelling narrative, and a relentless pursuit of player immersion. When someone with such a deep, hands-on understanding of the series expresses worry, it resonates powerfully with long-time fans and industry watchers.

"Immensely Worried": The Core of the Apprehension

Schofield's pointed concern that Call of Duty has seen a downturn in quality since Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard taps directly into a growing chorus of community criticism. His sentiment serves as a professional echo for complaints that have been leveled against recent franchise entries, particularly the 2023 release of Modern Warfare III. These concerns include:

  • Rushed Development Cycles: The annual release schedule has long been a point of contention. Modern Warfare III was widely criticized for its remarkably short single-player campaign and heavy reliance on recycled content, with reports suggesting a crunched development timeline of less than 18 months.
  • Decline in Innovation: Critics and players have noted a trend towards iteration over true innovation. The feeling of "more of the same" has become a common refrain, with less emphasis on the bold, genre-defining leaps seen in earlier titles.
  • Inconsistent Narrative Quality: The single-player campaigns, once a celebrated pillar of the franchise, have faced scrutiny. The narrative of Modern Warfare III was panned by many as disjointed and unsatisfying, falling short of the high bar set by its predecessors.
  • Technical Polish: While Call of Duty remains a technical powerhouse, recent launches have been plagued by bugs, server instability, and balance issues that detract from the core experience and suggest a lack of final polish.
  • Live Service Focus: The heavy integration of battle passes and cosmetic storefronts, while commercially successful, has led to perceptions that the core gameplay loop is now secondary to monetization strategies.

Schofield’s general concern about "quality" encapsulates these community-driven observations, offering an insider's validation of the fan base's fears.

Microsoft's Stewardship: The First Year and the Path Forward

The acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, which officially closed in October 2023, marked a seismic shift for the industry. For Call of Duty, it promised a new era of resources and strategic direction. However, the first year under this new ownership has been a mixed bag, raising crucial questions.

The release of Modern Warfare III shortly after the deal closed became an early, and for many, disappointing, test case. Its lackluster reception reinforced fears that Microsoft's stewardship might not immediately solve the franchise's underlying issues with development pressure and creative stagnation.

The most significant strategic change, however, is Microsoft's integration of the series into its ecosystem. It has been confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the 2024 installment from fan-favorite developer Treyarch, will launch day-one on Xbox Game Pass. While Microsoft has honored its commitment to keep Call of Duty a multi-platform franchise available on PlayStation and PC, its inclusion in a subscription service fundamentally alters its business model and value proposition, shifting the focus from unit sales to player engagement and retention.

The Evolving FPS Battlefield

Call of Duty no longer operates in a vacuum. While it remains a commercial juggernaut, the modern FPS landscape is fiercely competitive. Schofield's comments are a poignant reminder that even the most dominant franchises must constantly evolve and uphold quality to maintain their throne. The Game Pass model introduces a new dynamic, where players have more choice than ever. For Call of Duty to succeed, it must not only sell copies but also prove it's worth players' time over a vast library of other titles.

The challenge for Microsoft and its stable of world-class developers—Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games—is to prove they can navigate this new era successfully. They must leverage Microsoft's resources to break free from the constraints of a seemingly unbreakable annual schedule, foster creative innovation, and restore the uncompromising quality that first made Call of Duty a global phenomenon.

Schofield's worries, far from being simple criticism, are a call to action. They are a plea from one of the series' foundational architects for its new custodians to protect the legacy and reclaim the glory that he helped build. All eyes are now on Black Ops 6 to see if that call has been answered.