With the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3whose multiplayer was seen a few hours ago in a trailer full of nostalgia, the franchise will celebrate its twentieth anniversary. Few intellectual properties in the video game industry can boast such without having lost even a modicum of popularity. At Activision, of course, they are aware that they are owners of a gold mine, and they are not planning to give it up.
When it was known that the vast majority of Activision’s internal studios now work, in one way or another, on Call of Duty, some thought it was a movement to confront the health crisis. However, the pandemic is over and all of those teams are still involved in the successful First Person Shooter. And from what Rob Kostich, president of Activision, says, that will not change in the short term.
It is more than clear that, at the moment, At Activision there is no place for another franchise other than Call of Duty. In fact, in its roadmap it is well outlined what the launches of its SPF for at least the next 4 years.
“We’re in a planning phase. Our long-term planning phase. Right now, we have games (of Call of Duty) planned until 2027. Everything that has happened in the past is a great learning experience. We have a focus group that all tells us what they think about this franchise to which we pay special attention,” Kostich told Games Beat.
Modern Warfare and Black Ops are the pillars of Call of Duty
The manager affirms, on the other hand, that they have realized that sagas like Modern Warfare and Black Ops are the most popular of Call of Dutyand based on that success they are making decisions for the future.
Currently it is evident that his greatest efforts are focused on these two sagas. After the official announcement of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3from Activision they stated that this title will not be the final appearance of Task Force 141. That is, They will make the most of that setting and narrative.
The above contrasts with the original trilogy of Modern Warfare, which ended in 2011. However, it was palpable that players missed the modern warfare that Infinity Ward imagined. Activision knew this and consequently released the reboot of the saga in 2019.
It is so important Call of Duty for Activision who, today, have more than 3,000 people from various studios working on the franchise.
“These games now require quite a bit of work. They’re pretty big teams that are trying to put everything together. They’re monumental efforts. The competition is real, so we’re just focused on, again, how we can meet the expectations of our players. And To achieve this today, it takes much more than in the past.”
Rob Kostich.
Now, Kostich mentions that there are still three studios that separately lead each production project. Call of Duty: Infinity Ward, Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. The latter, by the way, command the development of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The rest of the teams, therefore, serve as support teams.
So… Can we expect something different from Activision beyond Call of Duty? Kostich himself states that they have some ideas that he cannot yet share details about. He also highlighted that in the past they triumphed with Destiny, Skylanders, Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk. However, they do not want to advance in any other franchise until they make sure they have the right team for it.
Nowadays it is increasingly difficult to get ahead, probably more than ever. We are always thinking about how to expand beyond Call of Duty“
Rob Kostich.
Of course, This whole strategy could change if Microsoft finally manages to close the purchase of Activision Blizzard King, which could happen imminently. We don’t know if those from Redmond have that same vision about Call of Duty and the rest of the publisher’s franchises.