Activision confirms 3 year dev cycle for the Call of Duty franchise; SHGames game coming in 2014

Activision has just confirmed Sledgehammer Games is working on Call of Duty 2014. Activision CEO has announced that Activision is transitioning into a 3 year development cycle for Call of Duty franchise to allow for better game development and DLC for other games.

Here’s a statement from Sledgehammer Games:

Five years ago, we started on the most exciting journey of our careers. Sledgehammer Games was built around a singular goal – to create world-class interactive entertainment that entertains millions of fans around the world. We have a passion for creating games and a team dedicated to achieving excellence in everything that we do.

Having the honor of developing the new, next generation of Call of Duty is a developer’s dream come true. All of us here at Sledgehammer Games have a shared vision to create the best work of our lives. The next Call of Duty represents a new era for this amazing franchise, and we look forward to sharing what we have been working on.

Today is just the beginning, there is so much more to come!

Activision CEO said he has full confidence in Sledgehammer Games to deliver one of the best Call of Duty titles ever.

“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,” Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said during an annual earnings call today. “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.”

Hirshberg went on to say that 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.”

Activision CEO has stated that more information regarding Sledgehammer’s title will be announced in the months ahead. With this new 3 year development cycle, Treyarch fans will have to wait till 2015 for the next Treyarch title.