Infinity Ward not tackling the next installment of their record shattering Modern Warfare franchise? Madness. And yet, sources seem to be indicating that that is the case. The developer was questioned on their plans for the future in the lad up to Modern Warfare 2's launch, where it was said they "don't have a clue" what their next title would be (MW3 is a given; likely in 2011), and that post-launch they would be all about supporting the MW2 online community in every way -- downloadable content, patches, updates, and more. A spin-off or expansion featuring the character of Ghost was also rumored.
Speaking to VG247, unnamed sources have apparently revealed that Infinity Ward are going to be working on something "completely new" for their next project, and that a different studio within Activision, namely newly formed Sledgehammer Games, have been handed the third act of Modern Warfare. However, a different source claimed that Activision have a Canadian developer on the project. Nothing has been confirmed at this time.
Treyarch, meanwhile, will be releasing their next Call of Duty, a Vietnam/Cold War-era romp, later this fall. Retail sources have implied that as usual, the game will see release in November, which will be a year out from Modern Warfare 2. CVG report that they were told, "Development is on course - and Treyarch have been told the game must be ready to hit shelves before the gifting season."
Meanwhile, Destructoid is rumomongering that this "completely new" endeavor for the FPS studio will be an massively multiplayer online game. Perhaps the totally real and coming soon Call of Duty MMO? Maybe featuring that monetization ActiBlizz just confirmed? Apparently IW have been actively bringing people on board from Sony Online Entertainment, (one reportedly the lead designer of EverQuest II; another from Blizzard) to assist in the development. No details on what this MMO may be are known, but given that Activision's recently (and allegedly) pegged a third studio to help with the CoD franchise, you probably won't have to wait more than 12 months to get another dose - be it from Infinity Ward, or not.
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