In a recent interview, a developer who previously worked at Sledgehammer Games shed some light on why the sequel to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare never happened. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was Sledgehammer's first wholly original entry in the Call of Duty series and was emblematic of the franchise's turn toward more futuristic settings.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was released in 2014 and was and took players to the year 2054, which introduced sci-fi elements like Exo suits and laser weapons. Futuristic elements were not brand new to the series as 2012's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 also took advantage of its sci-fi aesthetic, but the added boost of the Exos and energy weapons gave Advanced Warfare its own flavor. While these additions were not met positively by all players, the game still has a passionate fanbase, and rumors of a sequel to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare have continuously circulated in the near decade since its release.
Bret Robbins, who was previously a creative director at Sledgehammer Games, cleared up some of the ambiguity surrounding Advanced Warfare 2 in a recent interview with MinnMax. He stated that a sequel to Advanced Warfare was in the works at one point and even had an early prototype, but the project was scrapped when Sledgehammer was given the chance to work on Call of Duty: WW2 which Robbins felt was "a better opportunity." Call of Duty famously began as a World War 2 shooter series similar to other games that take place in World War 2 such as Medal of Honor, the Brothers in Arms series, and some early Battlefield games.
Another one of Sledgehammer's unreleased projects was a third-person action game that Robbins described as "Uncharted meets Call of Duty." This project was dropped when Sledgehammer collaborated with Infinity Ward on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. When asked if he would rather revive this project or work on a sequel to Advanced Warfare, Robbins chose the latter. He cited the fact that unlike Modern Warfare 3 which picked up where Infinity Ward left off, Advanced Warfare was their own original project, affirming that "everything about it was Sledgehammer's." Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg previously stated that Sledgehammer Games wanted to work on Advanced Warfare 2 but ultimately moved on to other projects instead.
Many casual fans of Call of Duty may only remember Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare for its poorly aged celebrity casting or the "press F to pay respects" meme which has since become one of the most iconic video game memes. However, the game evidently still has an active fanbase as rumors of its sequel have consistently cropped up over the years. With Bret Robbins no longer at Sledgehammer and it now being nearly ten years since Advanced Warfare's release, a sequel is unlikely to happen any time soon. But if enough fans make their voices heard, the prospect of an Advanced Warfare follow-up may still be possible.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is available for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.