IW situation is an "opportunity" for devs

Activision COO Thomas Tippl has said that far from discouraging talent from joining Infinity Ward, the changes at the Modern Warfare studio recently have created a void into which many developers would be happy to jump.

"If you put yourself in the developer's shoes, the ability to work on the biggest franchise in the industry and bring your creative product to an audience the size of the Call of Duty franchise is an opportunity many would crave," Tippl told the LA Times (thanks VG247).

Activision is currently "configuring the new leadership team there", Tippl explained, adding that Infinity Ward "still has nearly 100 people", despite the reported resignations among senior staff following the sacking of bosses Jason West and Vince Zampella last month and subsequent mudslinging.

"[Infinity Ward has] built a deep bench, and the change of guard will provide an opportunity for some of the rising stars to put their own stamp on the Call of Duty franchise," Tipple said. "In addition, we will provide them with all the resources internally and recruit talent from the outside."

"We treat our developers extremely well," he added. (Check out our interview with Jason West and Vince Zampella, who recently formed Respawn Entertainment, for more on the fallout from the IW sackings.)

Tippl also clarified the current situation regarding Call of Duty production, explaining that Treyarch is making this year's game (due in "fall of 2010", obviously), while Sledgehammer - a new studio founded by former Visceral Games men - is working on a title for beyond that.

"We haven't yet announced the content of their game, but it's going to be an innovative take that will further broaden the audience for Call of Duty," he said.

However, while Tippl noted that Infinity Ward "made Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2", he did not say what the studio was working on.