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Activision confirmed today the formation of Sledgehammer Games. Headed up by former Visceral Games/EA Redwood Shores honchos Glen A. Schofield and Michael Condry, the Foster City, CA development studio is currently working on a yet-to-be-announced, existing Activision franchise. This has prompted many to believe Sledgehammer was formed specifically to develop products within the Call of Duty franchise. The first theory has Sledgehammer getting thrown into the mix to give Infinity Ward and Treyarch three-year development cycles. The next line of thinking says that Sledgehammer will be translating the Call of Duty experience into an MMO. Finally, the third, more mundane case, posits that Sledgehammer will simply ply its trade developing DS and PSP Call of Duty titles.
Considering the following comments, as picked up by Gamasutra, we’re not sure which of these three options is most likely, though we’re pretty sure the DS/PSP option is out. Heck, Sledgehammer could very well be developing another IP altogether, as MMO development is very distinct from the execs’ current skill set, and developing Call of Duty titles on a two-year rotation is likely good enough (at least in this generation of hardware) to make a third developer superfluous. “Both Glen and Michael have outstanding reputations in the industry through their work as GM and COO of Visceral Games, and as the leadership of the Dead Space development team,” said Dave Stohl, Executive Vice President of Studios at Activision. “We are excited to add their combined 30 years of experience and expertise to our management team.” “Michael and I are thrilled to be building a brand new studio for Activision. This was an opportunity for us to assemble a world-class team made up of developers with a proven track record in delivering top-rated games. We know what it takes to develop a Game of the Year title, and we also know that the title needs the support of a strong publisher to make the game a success,” said Glen A. Schofield. “We are honored to be part of the family of amazing developers that have delivered some of the best-selling games in the industry and we look forward to continuing that success at Sledgehammer Games.” |
