Publisher Activision has announced that Infinity Ward studio heads Vince Zampella and Jason West have left the team today, but did not state a reason for their departure. For the time being, Activision Publishing CTO Steve Pearce and head of production Steve Ackrich are in charge of Infinity Ward.
The Modern Warfare 2 developer will move on and develop two downloadable map packs for release in 2010.
Also in the announcement, Activision has stated that the next Call of Duty is in development at Treyarch. This we know. What they’ve also let loose is that their new studio, Sledgehammer Games, will be developing the following entry which will take the game to the “action-adventure genre” for release in 2011.
Activision plans to span the Call of Duty series just as Blizzard has done with their series.
“2010 will be another important year for the Call of Duty franchise,” said Activision Publishing president and CEO Mike Griffith in a brief statement. “In addition to continued catalog sales, new downloadable content from Infinity Ward and a new Call of Duty release, we are excited about the opportunity to bring the franchise to new geographies, genres and players.”
Activision Announces “New Direction” For Call Of Duty, Confirms Infinity Ward Changes
