By Stephen Hyland
Sledgehammer games, Infinity Ward, Activision? What is this madness? Something doesn't seem right. But hey maybe it's a good thing. Maybe...
Sledgehammer games, Infinity Ward, Activision? What is this madness? Something doesn't seem right. But hey maybe it's a good thing. Maybe...
Ah, Call of Duty. The famed gaming franchise which everybody and their 10-year-old cousins are playing. In the last 10 years of the critically acclaimed series (well, at least for the first few years) it has been developed by two developing teams: Infinity Ward and Treyarch. Every year, these two teams would take it in turn to release upon the world, their latest Call of Duty installment. This formula has worked to quite a reasonable standard over the years, except of course for the crisis that IF had suffered during the development of Modern Warfare 3.
(Editor's Note) I stopped counting after the 112th crisis
You see, Activision was firing IF employees left, right and centre; this required immediate assistance from other studios. One of the studios who co-created the game was “Sledgehammer Games”- a relatively unheard of company. That same company is currently developing the next Call of Duty game, therefore breaking the tradition of Infinity Ward one year and Treyarch the next. Now, you can see this from two different perspectives: one good and one not so good. With the good side of things, we can say that it would bring a refreshing feeling to the franchise, bringing new life with creative minds different to the ones we have experienced for the last 10 years. Moreover, for all we know, they could actually produce the best Call of Duty game to date (or at least one of). In addition, having that 3-year gap instead of a mere 2 years will allow them time to polish the game a little more. However, we now reach the part where it could go a bit sh*t.
Pictured: A bit sh*t
Judging from the lack of originality and creativity that was MW3, and remembering that Sledgehammer co-created it, there’s just a thought wriggling away at me that MAYBE, just maybe, the next entry could be a whole pile of rubbish. Sledgehammer do not exactly have tons of experience in Triple-A title games, especially with just one game (well, half a game). Going into unknown territory could prove fatal for Sledgehammer, and the COD franchise itself. However, despite all this, I think that with the correct amount of thought and ingenuity, they could actually pull it off. I think it’s about time Activision started taking risks rather than hiding behind their decade-old tradition that has lost its touch. What do you think of this change? Good? Bad? Hmmm, maybe? Let us know down in the comments. So now to say goodbye, and to wish the best to Sledgehammer Games.
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