After announcing an incredibly profitable quarter, Activision decided to give a few details to investors on the company's plans going forward. While it shouldn't come as a surprise that the words Call of Duty would be used to instill confidence, the details they gave could spell bigger news for those who've been keeping track of the franchise. No developer was named, but there may be cause to expect a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 release as soon as next year.

The incredible success of the series to date, and the growing excitement over Black Ops is a testament to just how much the entire industry is looking to the Call of Duty brand for the next step in FPS. The company clearly knows the genre, so no jaws were dropped when Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg announced, "[w]e will launch a new first-person action title during the back half of 2011" during a conference call with industry analysts.

To put any doubts to rest, Activision COO Thomas Tippl later elaborated, saying that, "[n]ext year's Call of Duty will be a first-person shooter." So for those capable of putting two and two together, it would seem that it's now official that Activision's next shooter released in the second half of 2011 will be a Call of Duty title. Since the only other Call of Duty in development is a third-person-action game being made by Sledgehammer Games, the question is: could this be anything other than Modern Warfare 3?

For those who are unaware of the mass exodus of staff from Infinity Ward, creators of MW2, the studio still remains under Activision's control. While some former employees may see the studio as dead and buried, they would be the logical developer to take on the task. They were in development on the game before the split between the staff and Activision, so this is not really going to be a shock to anyone.

Just how good will a Modern Warfare 3 made by the new Infinity Ward be? MW2 already set the standard for multiplayer shooters, but some are already saying that Black Ops will pull us into an entirely new generation of online play. From the looks we've had at Treyarch's next entry in the series, it seems that they've got something for everybody. The bottom line is that whoever gets handed MW3 will have some large shoes to fill.

Game Rant will have more details whenever they become available, but for now it's more likely that Call of Duty: Black Ops will scratch any military itches you have when it's released on Tuesday November 9th on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PC. Keep an eye open for more Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 news as we get farther into 2011, though.

Source: Gamespot