Nov 2, 2026 · 1h 44m
Call of Duty seeks a comeback as GTA VI reshapes gaming’s calendar
‘Phantom Blade Zero’ Reactions and a ‘Call of Duty’ Comeback | Button Mash
The episode connects a crowded release slate, Phantom Blade Zero’s accessible action, and major shooter franchises fighting to regain momentum before GTA VI arrives.
- 1Phantom Blade Zero makes Soulslike combat more accessible through forgiving mechanics, varied weapons, and streamlined progression.
- 2Modern Warfare 4 earns praise for its campaign and gunplay while testing whether Call of Duty can recover cultural dominance.
- 3EA’s BioWare shutdown and Valve’s quiet Deadlock development expose sharply different strategies for sustaining major game franchises.
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Zack Zwiezen argues that Modern Warfare 4 may be Call of Duty’s strongest recent entry, helped by launching after Battlefield 6.
The brief
With GTA VI looming over the 2026 calendar, Ben Lindbergh, Matt James, and Steve Ahlman weigh whether any game can claim the year before Rockstar’s release arrives.
Their spoiler-free Phantom Blade Zero discussion praises cinematic action, forgiving Soulslike combat, weapon variety, and frictionless progression, while flagging weak storytelling and automatic wall-running.
Kotaku’s Zack Zwiezen joins Ben to assess Battlefield 6, ARC Raiders, Marathon, and Modern Warfare 4, arguing that Call of Duty’s latest entry may be its strongest in years.
Modern Warfare 4’s campaign combines expensive action-movie spectacle with an experimental open-world mission, raising questions about whether Call of Duty should loosen its traditional structure.
The conversation widens to extraction-shooter economics, classic Call of Duty ports, EA’s BioWare shutdown, and Valve’s quietly developed Deadlock as competing models for franchise survival.
Books & mentions
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