During an investor call today, Activision Publishing president and CEO announced that the Call of Duty franchise is moving to a three-year development cycle with Sledgehammer Games joining Treyarch and Infinity Ward as the franchise’s third lead developer.
Sledgehammer Games will be developing this year’s Call of Duty title. The studio co-developed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with Infinity Ward. Hirshberg said that the move to a longer development cycle will ensure a high level of quality, as well as more innovation for the franchise.
“[The change] will give our designers more time to envision and innovate for each title,” Hirshberg said, in part. “It will give our content creators more focus on DLC and micro-DLC which … have become large and high-margin opportunities and significant engagement drivers. It will give our teams more time to polish, helping to ensure that we deliver the best possible experience to our fans each and every time.”
Hirshberg also praised the talent at Sledgehammer Games, stating that they have demonstrated their skill on their previous titles including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. “They’re the perfect choice to support our new approach and bring fresh ideas and creativity to this great franchise and to raise the bar for next-gen games overall.”
(via Polygon)