After struggling with reaching a potential release date of November, it looks like Infinity Ward, under the direction of Activision, has enlisted the help of developer Sledgehammer Games to complete their latest Call of Duty game, perhaps titled Modern Warfare 3.

Most likely not being able to meet the strict time demands needed to put out a top tier title after having lost their leadership and a ton of creative talent, Activision has not only turned to Sledgehammer but also to Raven Software to act as reinforcements, boosting the man power.

Most recently known for their time-travelling FPS, Singularity, Raven Software has been brought into the development pool to work on the multiplayer component of this year's Call of Duty installment, while newly formed Sledgehammer helps IW on the main game.

So, with Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer working on the single player and Raven Software developing the multiplayer, it begs the question as to what form this next Call of Duty game will take? While in past iterations, one developer at a time put their signature stamp upon a game in every aspect. Infinity Ward developed a rich single player and multiplayer experience, while Black Ops’ Treyarch took gamers into the past, while offering co-operative play and the infamous Zombie modes.

Now, with several development hands in the pie, it could mean one of two things. One scenario is that Sledgehammer was brought on to introduce their unique take on the series before making their official debut with their own dedicated title (reportedly a spin-off Call of Duty game) or the other, perhaps more likely and depressing scenario, is that the two development teams were brought on to essentially serve as workhorses on a Modern Warfare carbon copy.

With the blueprint already laid in place back with the big leap that was Modern Warfare, both Treyarch and Infinity Ward delivered titles that didn’t do much to evolve that formula. Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops still offered compelling gameplay on all fronts, but the titles lacked the evolution that appeared between Call of Duty 3 and Modern Warfare. It might still take time to deliver, but perhaps under the supervision of Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer and Raven can create a passable facsimile.

The Call of Duty franchise has traveled a rather bumpy road. While financially secure as an industry-leading brand, the controversy surrounding the loss of key personnel, after insane profit numbers combined with overpriced DLC, many fans are getting vocal about the status of the franchise and future outlook. A lot of that may be due to the last few games being rather similar and hearing of the imminent paid-subscription service.

With Treyarch having just delivered their alternate year title, it looked like gamers might have had to wait more than the traditional year before the Call of Duty series launched a new sequel. Luckily, with this news and the proclamation that the Infinity Ward version will be ready for 2011, perhaps gamers won’t even miss a beat.

Do you think that Raven and Sledgehammer were brought on to bring gamers a new Call of Duty experience, or do you think Modern Warfare 3 will play similar to MW2?

Source: LA Times