Call of Duty 2023 looks like it’s bringing back jetpacks

If you expected the brand-new 2023 Call of Duty title to be set within the Modern Warfare universe - which was allegedly the original plan now that the DLC idea has been scrapped - you might be sorely mistaken.

Sledgehammer Games is set to take over from Infinity Ward as the lead game designer in November 2023, and while an "Advanced Warfare sequel" has been debunked, new leaks now suggest that we could be flying through the air later this year.

Thanks to a significant data breach backing December, new leaks suggest that Sledgehammer's new game will be operating under the codename of Project Jupiter, which could have some sci-fi ramifications.

Call of Duty 2023 codenamed as Project Jupiter

According to the data breach, which has also revealed the entire roadmap for Call of Duty in 2023 including a new Warzone map and a Halloween event, this new annual release will be codenamed "Project Jupiter."

The name Project Jupiter won't be the official name of the 2023 Call of Duty release, but will serve as a tag for Activision employees to talk about the game without giving away too much.

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The leaker continued to say that this game is "supposedly" still set within the Modern Warfare universe, but not a direct sequel to this year's MW2.

Added to this, there's an interesting mention of some dates for Project Jupiter. The data breach lists the following:

• Jupiter "GL4" from April 7 - April 28
• Jupiter Alpha from May 26 - June 2
• Jupiter "GL5" June 9 - June 30

While the Alpha naming is self-explanatory, the GLF and GL5 are less clear. It's likely these are internal testings. However, the Alpha starting on May 26 is definitely a date to put in the diary. 

Does the codename Project Jupiter confirm jetpacks are back?

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Codenames for games are often indicators of what style of gameplay we can expect, and for Call of Duty, a trip to space is not beyond the realms of possibility. 

Sledgehammer has already whisked us to the future in its best-ever Call of Duty game, Advanced Warfare, and a sci-fi theme could play into the early leaks of a sequel - although it will reportedly not be a follow-on of the story.

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A trip to the future, Jupiter, and space largely hints at exo-suits and jetpacks returning to the franchise in a one-off year, although this would also mean Warzone 2 would be in for a huge shake-up too.

Despite Advanced Warfare being something of a divisive entry with its futuristic setting, it has an important place as the first CoD game solely developed by Sledgehammer. It has its supporters, and even Seth "Scump" Abner agrees the jetpack era is better than the current offerings.