Tony Hawk Studio Neversoft Burns Iconic Logo to Mark Merger With Infinity Ward

Neversoft as we know it is no more. The studio that brought us the Tony Hawk series of skateboarding games has officially merged with Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward. Parent company Activision describes the new developer as a "super-studio."

But Neversoft didn't just fade away. Yesterday, to mark their last day in the Neversoft office, employees burned an effigy of the studio's iconic eyeball logo. Additionally, Neversoft founder Joel Jewett gave each employee a cool-looking knife engraved with the developer's logo. Jewett is retiring alongside studio director Scott Pease with the end of Neversoft.

Activision announced the merger in May. CEO Eric Hirshberg explained the move as a result of the increasing collaboration between Infinity Ward and Neversoft on Call of Duty games. "As you know, Neversoft and Infinity Ward teamed up for the development of Call of Duty: Ghosts," Hirshberg said at the time of the announcement. "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."

The new Infinity Ward-Neversoft developer will keep Infinity Ward's name and logo.

Neversoft most recently worked on last year's Call of Duty: Ghosts. It was primarily responsible for developing the Extinction mode in that game. Considering that Call of Duty is now on a three-year development cycle, the new Infinity Ward is probably working on a game to be released in 2016. Sledgehammer Games is releasing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare this November, and Treyarch is likely developing a Call of Duty for release in 2015.

Keep an eye on GameSpot for more news about Call of Duty in the future. What was your favorite Neversoft game? Were you a fan of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, or did you prefer the studio's work on Guitar Hero III? Let us know in the comments below.