Wait a minute, folks: the sequel to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is almost certainly going to be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. New leaks from our friends at Monster Energy and mine have revealed the game's name, branding, and mutton-chop-alone Captain Price. In fact, the existence of "MW3" has become so obvious that even COD developers are making jokes about it on Twitter.

Originally shared by a Twitter user, who has since deleted the tweet, the photo above appears to be an official Monster Energy box branded with "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" and whatever advertising deal Activision and Monster Whatever the advertising deal between Activision and Monster, it seems to indicate that participating in it will get you some sort of skin in the game. If you zoom in on the fine print, it states that the promotion will run from September 1 through December 31 of this year.

Oh, and that QR code just takes you to the Monster Energy website, at least for now.

Book it, Danno. This case is closed. The next COD is very likely to be MW3. The vision of the energy drink confirms it. The mystery has been solved, and the official COD Twitter account has since been updated with the following statement after the leak: "Whew. Monday. Anyone have an energy drink?"

and stated.

The account responded to those who pointed out a connection between its tweets and the Monster Energy leak with an eye emoji, in its customary "brands on Twitter" fashion.

Meanwhile, Sledgehammer Games, the developer of this year's "COD," updated its Twitter account header with three red lines, much like the "3" style of Monster Energy's brand mark. It seems a bit silly to obsessively theorize about something like this when anyone who is paying close attention knows it's not true, but there is a bit more evidence if you need it.

It is not news that there will be a new "Call of Duty" in 2023: Activision has publicly stated in this year's communication that it plans a "full annual premium release" of the series. However, it has been tight-lipped about what that release will look like, referring only to "Call of Duty 2023." [Official Twitter almost confirmed last week that you can join the 2023 game with your purchased bundle. Now that this is so obvious, someone should officially announce this game by now.