Earlier today, during an investment earnings call at Activision, the publisher announced that Sledgehammer Games, best known for coming in to work on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 after developer Infinity Ward was gutted by disgruntled former managers, would be getting its own annual Call of Duty game starting this fall. The news extends the development cycle between the now three Call of Duty games by a full year, and gives each title a three-year cycle.
Treyarch, the creators of the mega-popular Black Ops series, will continue on making games in that specific world. Infinity Ward will build on the world that was introduced in 2013’s Ghosts, and presumably, Sledgehammer will be working on further Modern Warfare installments.
“For the first time,” Activision said during the earnings call, “this year’s Call of Duty game–and future Call of Duty games–are being built on a three-year development cycle.”
The move pushes Treyarch’s Black Ops III (tentative title) to 2015, and Infinity Ward’s Ghosts 2 (again, tentative) to 2016. Fan speculation for Modern Warfare 4 has already begun, with news on the new game expected to hit sometime in May right before E3 in early June.
