LA Times says Raven and Sledgehammer working on Modern Warfare 3

Says Activision has brought in both studios to help Infinity Ward finish it for this fall.
 

Activision calls in reinforcements for next Call of Duty game
January 20, 2011 | 11:34 am

When the heads of Infinity Ward, the game development studio that created the hit Call of Duty series, were fired last March and most of their top talent quit soon after, publisher Activision Blizzard, said it didn't expect the turmoil to affect operations.

However, Infinity Ward's operations apparently have been affected enough that it has called in reinforcements to make the next Call of Duty military game. The studio was able to pull off prior games without aid, as it did with 2008's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 2006's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Activision has quietly tapped Sledgehammer Games, a Northern California studio, to help out with the making of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, according to people familiar with the situation. The game has not been officially announced by Activision. But the title is well into production and is expected to come out in November, the same month that the publisher has annually released a new Call of Duty installment, people with knowledge of situation said. Modern Warfare 3 will be the first game Infinity Ward has produced since the departure of of company co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella.

People close to the matter said Infinity Ward is working closely with Sledgehammer, which is led by a team recruited away from Activision's rival Electronic Arts Inc. The two studios are equally sharing duties of producing the single-player portion of the game, the sources said.

Activision has also brought in Wisconsin-based Raven Software, which is working on the online multi-player elements for Modern Warfare 3, sources said.

The decision to seek outside help is a departure for Activision, which in the past has left Infinity Ward alone to develop the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games. The approach paid off, as the last two Modern Warfare games sold 13 million and 20 million units, respectively.

But pulling in the Sledgehammer team to help out on Modern Warfare 3 is creating a domino effect by forcing Activision to delay the start of production on a new Call of Duty spin-off game that the studio had begun working on before the upheaval at Infinity Ward, the people said.

This isn't just war games, as it were. Producing Call of Duty games on an annual schedule is critical to Activision. It's one of two franchises -- along with World of Warcraft -- upon which the video game giant is dependent for most of its revenue. So missing a release date or rushing out a game before it's ready could upset the company's projected revenue.

Call of Duty: Black Ops, produced by Activision studio Treyarch in 2010, was the best-selling video game in the U.S. last year, as was Modern Warfare 2 in 2009.

A spokesman for Activision declined to comment.

Modern Warfare 3 will be the top selling game of 2011.

Money money money money money money money money money

That makes sense, I don't think IW could do MW3 on their own.

 If this is true than the game could turn out like a bit of a hodge podge. If they are trying to keep up with the yearly releases we might see less after launch support for the games if thats possible.  

" Money money money money money money money money money "

Maybe someone at one of those two studios knows how to actually write a story.

Maybe someone at one of those two studios knows how to actually write a story.

" @Hailinel

Maybe someone at one of those two studios knows how to actually write a story.

Honestly, that's not why that game exists and everyone knows it. "

" @s7evn said:

" @Hailinel

Maybe someone at one of those two studios knows how to actually write a story.

Honestly, that's not why that game exists and everyone knows it. "

They probably should... are games not art? Then, of course the story should matter!!  As for MW, I am not expecting anything out of this game anymore, as I have been sorely disappointed with their offerings; BLOPS was ok, but they just keep recycling the same ole shit from Modern Warfare, imo. "

there was a rumor that this is going to be a prequel about Ghost. 
 
what the hell do you can a prequel to Modern Warfare?  (other then Pre Modern warfare)

I really hope they don't fuck it up. The thing that always made the IW games good was that the map design on the multiplayer was so fucking thought out and well made.

Raven?  Oh God.  This better be more SoF2 and less Singularity.

" Raven?  Oh God.  This better be more SoF2 and less Singularity. "

" @s7evn said:

" @Hailinel

Maybe someone at one of those two studios knows how to actually write a story.

Honestly, that's not why that game exists and everyone knows it. "

They probably should... are games not art? Then, of course the story should matter!! "

well that is kind of good news, kind of. it's good that a new modern warfare but it might be different. it is going to be different because of what different developers do. people do things differently when making games. i hope that it is different. 
 
it would be kind of cool to see treyarch make the call of duty series. i would enjoy 2 years of a sequel. speaking of sequels, i think that sequels shouldn't come out every year. i think 2 years minimum for games to come out.

Was there any doubt? I mean you know, after the whole IW event?

" Was there any doubt? "

Wasn't this already known? I remember the guys talking about Sledgehammer working on call of duty back in the Modern Warfare 2 TNT.

Poor Raven, Lucas is too obsessed with the prequels to let them make a good Star Wars game, so they have to shovel out a MW game instead...

I think Infinity Ward either gets a major makeover (aka keep the name start a new studio) or goes by by after this game is released.

" Modern Warfare 3 will be the top selling game of 2011. "

That would certainly be interesting. Raven showed their ability to make a great FPS with Singularity and there are some talented guys working at Sledgehammer. But I wonder what ever happened that Call of Duty "action-adventure" that Sledgehammer was suppose to be working on. Did Activision just scrap it and tell Sledgehammer to work on Modern Warfare 3 instead?

" Money money money money money money money money money "

" That would certainly be interesting. Raven showed their ability to make a great FPS with Singularity and there are some talented guys working at Sledgehammer. But I wonder what ever happened that Call of Duty "action-adventure" that Sledgehammer was suppose to be working on. Did Activision just scrap it and tell Sledgehammer to work on Modern Warfare 3 instead? "

People with knowledge of the situation can confirm that a new CoD comes out every November.

  These songs seems appropriate. 

How do you make a Modern Warfare 3? I thought the story was done? 

" I really hope they don't fuck it up. The thing that always made the IW games good was that the map design on the multiplayer was so fucking thought out and well made. "

" How do you make a Modern Warfare 3? I thought the story was done?  "

yeah whatever.. im no longer hyped or intrigued or interested. i just buy it every year because i have to.. beat it, try the multiplayer for 2 weeks then move on to real games, like i always say. 
 
 
@DrPockets000 said:

" People with knowledge of the situation can confirm that a new CoD comes out every November. "

" Maybe someone at one of those two studios knows how to actually write a story. "

@DrPockets000 said:

" People with knowledge of the situation can confirm that a new CoD comes out every November. "

i'd love to meet those knowledgeable people and shake their hands  "

Interesting move to push Modern Warfare 3 out like this, I figured Sledgehammer would be able to push out their title by the end of this year. It could work out alright if Activision does the smart thing and let Raven do single player while Sledgehammer and the smoldering wreckage of IW work on multiplayer. Regardless I still doubt I'll play it.

" @Ahmad_Metallic said: 

@DrPockets000 said:

" People with knowledge of the situation can confirm that a new CoD comes out every November. "

i'd love to meet those knowledgeable people and shake their hands  "

I want to partake in their knowledge.  Bathe in it. "

RAVEN is working on the multiplayer? 
 
Hrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... 
 
I don't remember the last Wolfenstein game having great multiplayer. 
 
Also, I prefer Black Ops.  Thanks...but for the first year, I will say "no thanks".

This game will be easily under 90% on gamerankings because it's not infinityward.

Yeap, it's all going downhill from here. It'll be a miracle if they actually pull this off.

" @Tsoglani: Games are an art, just like movies. But, Modern Warfare is the equivalent of a Micheal Bay summer blockbuster, all flash and no substance (story-wise) "

" That would certainly be interesting. Raven showed their ability to make a great FPS with Singularity and there are some talented guys working at Sledgehammer. But I wonder what ever happened that Call of Duty "action-adventure" that Sledgehammer was suppose to be working on. Did Activision just scrap it and tell Sledgehammer to work on Modern Warfare 3 instead? "

Not that I want everyone who works on this to get laid off, but I hope it crashes and burns in a fantastic fashion.

Dry those tears, Giant Bomb community. It's only another video game.