Activision has already confirmed a new Call of Duty for 2014 but we have no exact details. Might Sledghammer Games deliver a CoD entry specifically designed for the next-gen systems?
It seems possible. According to new positions available at the developer (as spotted on LinkedIn by CVG), it appears the team is staffing up for a Call of Duty that will hit the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Sledgehammer is looking for a multiplayer designer, concept artist, and senior animator to work on the project.
Sledgehammer, was founded in 2009 with the original intention of producing a third-person CoD spin-off. That title got the axe, though, and the developer helped Infinity Ward with Modern Warfare 3 after studio bosses Vince Zampella and Jason West left. Interestingly, as Infinity Ward developed the recently released Call of Duty: Ghosts, Sledgehammer might be on their own creating this mystery CoD installment.
In fact, it’s possible that Activision has given IW and Treyarch a break heading into the new generation, and they’re letting a new studio take a crack at it. Remember, Ghosts didn’t fare as well with critics as previous franchise entries. And although sales were once again astronomical, they didn’t break every record imaginable. It seems weird to call Ghosts a failure because that didn’t happen, but expectations are always through the roof.
A fresh studio, a fresh take on the IP?
Even if Sledgehammer Games gives us a next-gen CoD, there’s no guarantee it’ll be stellar. Infinity Ward and Treyarch have earned their reputations during the previous generation; Sledgehammer is relatively unproven. If they’re given the reins to a brand new game, can they handle it? Actually, I’m not sure I even care; I just want to see something new. I want to see a refreshing approach to Call of Duty. I want the kind of series reinvention we saw with the original Modern Warfare.
Not getting my hopes up, though.
