Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero developer Neversoft will cease to exist as its own studio as it becomes a part of Call of Duty developer Infinity ward.
The news comes via our sister site, Giant Bomb, which has obtained an internal memo by Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg.
“As you know, Neversoft and Infinity Ward teamed up for the development of Call of Duty: Ghosts,” Hirshberg said. “And through that process, it became clear that the two studios have very complementary skill sets. Between these two excellent studios, it seemed like a single ‘super-studio’ could emerge.”
Hirshberg goes on to thank Neversoft for its 20-year run and explain why Activision is dropping the name. “As already mentioned, we are merging these two very talented teams and obviously had to choose a name for the combined studio. Since the Infinity Ward brand is indelibly tied to the Call of Duty franchise, it is the sensible choice. While it will be strange to not see the Neversoft logo on future games, the important things–which are the Neversoft team’s talent, creativity, professionalism and commitment to creative excellence–all remain unchanged as part of this new chapter.”
Neversoft’s studio head Joel Jewett and studio director Scott Pease will retire from the games industry later this year as a result.
Though Infinity Ward led development on Call of Duty: Ghosts, the studio received help from Neversoft and Raven.
Earlier this year, Activision revealed that it is moving to a three-year, three-studio development cycle for Call of Duty titles. Previously, the franchise was developed on a two-year interval. Infinity Ward launched games during odd-numbered years, while Treyarch released titles during even-numbered years.
The next game in the series, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, is being developed by Sledgehammer games. According to Activision’s new development cycle, it should be followed by a game from Treyarch (known for the Black Ops games), and then another Infinity Ward title.
For more on Call of Duty, make sure you catch up with all the new details we got about the upcoming Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare this week.
| Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on Twitter @emanuelmaiberg and Google+. |
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