Of course there is a new Call of Duty game coming this year, but will Activision respond to the relative critical and commercial ‘failure’ of last year’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare at all? It looks like they will. Speaking to investors, Activision confirmed that Call of Duty 2017 will return to its roots, while at the same time balancing that with innovation.
Speaking during Activision’s financial conference call for the calendar year 2016, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg discussed the new game, noting that Sledgehammer’s new title would continue exploring new barriers and balancing that innovation with staying true to the series’ roots- since innovation is one of the things that has kept the franchise going, he said. At the same time, he did admit that while Infinite Warfare was innovative, its setting did not resonate with players- something that he doesn’t feel will be true of Sledgehammer’s game, which, he says, will balance innovation and traditional combat ‘in perfect harmony.’
It sounds like Activision is hinting at a return to classic, traditional World War 2 style Call of Duty– or at least modern warfare Call of Duty? Whatever it is they are hinting at, they have my full attention for now.