Activision’s chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl has named GTA 6 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 as the two biggest games of 2026 — putting a rival’s title right alongside his own.
The quote
Speaking about the year’s heavy hitters, Bahl said GTA 6 and Modern Warfare 4 will be 2026’s biggest releases. His logic is as much business as hype: GTA 6 will push a wave of current-gen console sales, and every new PS5 or Xbox Series X|S in a living room is a potential Modern Warfare 4 player. In Bahl’s view, Rockstar’s win is Activision’s win too.
Even Zelda can’t compete?
Bahl acknowledged The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake as a major 2026 release — and then said he expects GTA 6 and Modern Warfare 4 to outperform it. That’s a remarkable thing for a CMO to say on the record: not just backing your own horse, but ranking the entire field and putting a competitor first.
Why it matters
Publishers almost never hype a rival’s game by name. Bahl doing it here tells you two things: first, that nobody in the industry doubts GTA 6 is about to be enormous. And second, that Activision sees the November window as big enough for two giants. Modern Warfare 4 launches October 23, less than a month before GTA 6.
KongMNG’s take
When the Call of Duty marketing chief is out here promoting GTA 6, you know we’re in uncharted territory. November 2026 isn’t a competition, it’s a coronation with two crowns.