NEWS - Thursday, April 29, 2010
Activision May Shut Down Infinity Ward
Activision may be planning to shut down Infinity Ward after completion of the second Modern Warfare 2 map pack, reports CVG. "Continued defections from their Infinity Ward studio have created meaningful uncertainty around the future of their Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise," wrote Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey in an investor note. "We expect Infinity Ward studio will be essentially closed after their next map pack release, with development work on Modern Warfare 3 spread between two studios not historically tied to the franchise." He may be referring to Treyarch and Sledgehammer, both of which have been tapped for future Call of Duty titles, but haven’t worked on a Modern Warfare yet.
Keep in mind that, for the time being, this is only speculation from an analyst. If it proves true, Activision will be putting the final nail in the golden goose’s coffin. Even as leadership has flooded from the studio, Activision has retained the Infinity Ward name; if they shut down the studio, even that will be gone. Don’t worry too much about the staff, though; we’re sure most of them can find jobs at some other studio.
Source: http://www.1up.com
