There's some understandable confusion about what's happening to Call of Duty after the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty is released later in 2010. I've obtained an internal memo sent to Activision employees at the same time today's news release went out that better clarifies what's happening to Call of Duty. Here's how it breaks down.
Treyarch is making the Call of Duty coming in 2010. Someone else (possibly Infinity Ward) is making the Call of Duty that's due in 2011. Sledgehammer Games' project is something else entirely.
The internal memo was prepared by Activision Publishing president and CEO Mike Griffith and in addition to citing Infinity Ward as "central to Call of Duty's future," it makes clear that Sledgehammer's "action-adventure" take on Call of Duty is separate from another Call of Duty game hitting in 2011.
"2010 is expected to be another big year for Call of Duty," said Griffith, "with Treyarch developing a new title for fall release, Infinity Ward's downloadable content for Modern Warfare 2 in the works now, and a new Call of Duty title expected to be released in 2011."
Here's where the 2011 Call of Duty and Sledgehammer's game become distinctly separate.
"In addition," said Griffith, making the distinction between the two games clear, "Sledgehammer Games is in development on a Call of Duty title in the action-adventure genre. It's an exciting time and it's the right time to ensure the appropriate resources are there to support Call of Duty's growth."
It's possible the Sledgehammer Games' project is also released in 2011 but Griffith seems to make it clear there will continue to be annualized Call of Duty shooters going forward. This "action-adventure" take on Call of Duty is in addition to that. Does that make sense? My head hurts.
Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.
Comments
Displaying 1–20 of 43
1232
deathsdelivery
*Shudders* Treyarch *Shudders uncontrollably*
JustTheBeginning
Milk it baby milk it! Pumping out multiple Call of Duty games per year starting 2011!
: /
crwatkins
Sounds like they want to make crappy 3rd person action games and then slap Call of Duty on them so they can sell them.
Maveric11
sounds like a load of crap on a stick
kameha4th
This. . .
Is Unbearable.
HotJohnson
The Monolith strikes! I feel for the guys who lost their jobs after all of the hard work that they did. I wish them well in whatever new projects they decide to work on.
Rion Vanguard
So, to put it more simply..
..there's THREE CoD games coming out.
CoD: 2010
CoD: 2011
CoD: 201?
ricktrip0821
There goes another great game series out the window. Activision shod be aoud to pubish games anymore. All the do is mik there until no one wants to pay them anymore. Big Example of this Guitar Hero. It was a great series at first but then they just started making to many. I can see this as a bad idea and not every COD Fan is going to like a Game every year. Thats telling u that they just want there money and don't give a damn about there games anymore. Please Activision don't do this to the COD series or any of ur Games.
DreamingDarklyRobin
Maybe its that game they were making about Ghost?
Chunky_2336
i Want COD:Vietnam with COD5 engine MW2 needed Gore!!!
quesadia
Let me begin with "oh how the mighty have fallen"
Now that is out of the way... What further "damage" could be done to a game series. We have seen halo spin out of control. but still maintain somewhat of a pulse. But SON I AM DISAPPOINT with this bru-ha-ha. And HIGHLY doubt i will get tryarch's game. Loyal since Call of Duty on the PC(bought every game just about except the handheld stinkers and big red dung) its time to stop for me. At least until I can continue the story of MW2 (I really wanna know what happens next.) This is Blizzard/Acti taking its corporate powers and molesting things with it.
mcpkiller
Somewhere, tucked very deep in a crate, a Medal of Honor game is uncontrolably laughing.
Dark days lye ahead for all parties involved in this shakeup.
Busymandan
I don't know what all the fuss is about. Yes it is terrible what Activision is doing. But, Lets face it, Most everyone who play COD now will keep buying the next one and the next and the next. They will need somewhere to place their tents so they can camp. I wish Infinity Ward the best of luck. They really do make the best campsites.
Aldowyn
so... how and WHY are they making a COD action adventure game? I'm a little confused here.
ChrisHero22
It is clear that Activision shall be milking this franchise for what it is worth, that is for sure.
However, I'm curious just what IW and their position on all this shall be. They have publicly said, they would like to work on something new, OTHER than Modern Warfare. However, who knows if that is the case now with the shake up of the studio heads, and new direction, if they will be allowed to. Will any staff leave IW to join the two studio heads? The biggest problem here is that not only does Activision own the CoD name, they own the IW name. Thus, they could plaster that name on even if they only had 1/3rd of the staff of the original IW and people who know nothing will indeed assume its a IW made game.
These are just the types of things you get when corporate business gets TOO involved with the creative process of making games. Yeah the CoD franchise is a cash cow, and it can make Activision money no doubts. But let it make you that money, once you start dictating how its supposed to make you that money, you begin to lose the core reason why it was making you money in the first place. Guitar Hero was great at first because it was so unique and original. You can say the same for the original MW. A game based in modern war? What was so successful about these franchises was the fact that they did something different. Repeating the process over and over again, kind of loses that aspect of it, and it could come back to bite Activision.
batkinson001
I CANNOT fathom why Dan Amerik (spellings' messed up i know) left OXM to work at Activision.... the ONLY thing he can do, in my dreams anyways, is assassinate Bobby Kotick and end the nightmare that is Activision
GohanEgret
I jokingly referred to the franchise as becoming "Guitar Hero'd" in another article here, but this is nowhere near as bad as that. We've seen what happens when the company became too greedy with the Guitar Hero franchise, and now it's been severely cut back as a result. So while it's currently unknown if the franchise will suffer from fatigue, perhaps we should wait and see until the products come out before condemning them. Rent them first if it eases your mind. They may turn out to be great games.
And, for better or worse, this is going to become the standard. Ubisoft is doing another Ghost Recon game, they are about to release another Splinter Cell and that Assassin's Creed Not-the-third-game title is coming soon. Nintendo banks on a few core franchises - especially Mario (albeit they tend to be of quality). Konami is going to publish two more KNOWN Metal Gear games. And so on.
Franchises are bankable when it comes to interactive entertainment. Welcome to the future!
Liquid Swords
Look out Sessler, Patrick Klepek is coming for your job and he still has all of his hair.
MASTEROFWAR101
DONT CHANGE CALLOFDUTY...I DONT WANNA HAVE A LIFE
ericpoole27
Call of Duty is the new Guitar Hero... The market is going to be flooded with too many similar garbage titles and we all know what happens from there... I'm talking to you Activision!
Displaying 1–20 of 43
1232
Add a Comment