Sledgehammer working on 2014 Call of Duty, new entries getting 3-year dev cycle
Infinity Ward and Treyarch have acted as the two big developers behind Call of Duty. But today, Activision confirmed the addition of one more major team: Sledgehammer Games.
Starting with this year’s Call of Duty, new entries in the series will take on a three-year development cycle. Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer will rotate on yearly releases. Sledgehammer will be responsible for the unannounced 2014 title.
Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said during a financial call today:
“This will give our designers more time to envision and innovate for each title. Simultaneously, it will give our content creators more focus on DLC and micro-DLC which, as you know, have become large and high-margin opportunities and significant engagement drivers. Finally, we’ll give our teams more time to polish, helping ensure we deliver the best possible experience to our fans – each and every time.”
(Activision) needed a third studio capable of delivering the level of excellence required for the West’s biggest interactive entertainment franchise (and that Sledgehammer Games fits the bill.) They demonstrated their skill on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and on their past highly-rated games.”