It's probably the worst kept secret at this point, and even happened with little-to-no fanfare in terms of developer junkets and exclusive reveal sessions. Instead, news of what's next for the series in 2022 simply came as part of an update from the Call of Duty blog, which was also keeping punters up to date on Vanguard movements.

While there's a lot more in the supplied link above the jump, the key takeaways are as follows:

• Modern Warfare 2 has been lead by series stalwarts, infinity Ward. (Lead meaning there are still support studios across development.)
  
  
• An all-new engine and technology will drive this year's release, and presumably more after. Including in Warzone.
  
  
• Warzone itself is getting a major overhaul said to be evolutionary to the Battle Royale experience.

The series is, of course, no stranger to major shakeups. Planned sequels to the awful Ghosts were immediately shelved after the critical beating the game copped alongside fairly boisterous community backlashes. And it's been made not secret that Vanguard has struggled to asset an identity amidst more modern shooters.

And with the massive acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, how the future shapes for the series is still anyone's guess.

So in terms of buying into a business-as-usual Call of Duty affair, Modern Warfare 2 later this year might be the last in a long line of like-for-like annual franchise entries. Either way, it's all interesting times ahead.