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"All new" Call of Duty in '09, Lich King confirmed for Q4 '08

Activision implies Infinity Ward at helm for next installment; Blizzard CEO locks down World of Warcraft expansion for year's end; "multiple" Guitar Heroes also coming.

Following yesterday's $1 billion earnings announcement from Activision Blizzard, the recently conjoined and "streamlined" megapublisher's executives chatted with analysts in a conference call. Besides mentioning they had a $3 billion cash-on-hand war chest and were eying acquisitions, the powers-that-be at the world's top third-party publisher also revealed some major, if not surprising, news.

While presenting his vision for the 2009 calendar year, CEO Bobby Kotick confirmed "an all-new Call of Duty" will be released "utilizing our leapfrog studio strategy." The invocation of studio alternation implies that next year's Call of Duty will be developed by Infinity Ward, since Treyarch is working on the 2008 installment in the series, Call of Duty: World at War. Though requests for confirmation of Infinity Ward's involvement had not been returned as of press time, the studio confirmed it was at work on a new project for Activision earlier this month.

To the surprise of no one, Kotick also told analysts Activision's 2009 "lineup will be anchored by multiple Guitar Hero SKUs."* Of the three GH titles announced so far, only one, Guitar Hero World Tour, has been confirmed as coming this year--this holiday season, specifically. Guitar Hero: Metallica is due out by March 31, 2009, while the just-revealed Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades' release window is merely "soon."

On the Blizzard side of things, CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime confirmed that the second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, remains on track for a 2008 release. "We're currently in the beta phase and are planning to release it later this year after thorough testing," he said, later adding, "it's not going to come in the July to September quarter." Though rumors of a delay to early 2009 persist, Morhaime's comments leave the all-important October-December quarter as Wrath of the Lich King's sole possible release window.

*SKU = Stock Keeping Unit, a term used by retailers for individual products.

386 Comments

  • F-unit2008

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 1:02 pm GMT

    cod6 great game cant wait im already addicted to cod4 lets go its gonna be so real

  • army2067

    Posted Jan 27, 2009 9:04 pm GMT

    why arnt thare any fps that use muskets?

  • Masked_Man

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 10:55 am GMT

    yo Keitha313 cod4 campaign was amazing...im not understanding why you think IW doesn't make good stories? and in my opinion cod5 is not even close to being as good as cod4. and that's not IW problem cuz they didn't develop it.

  • vikinghero1

    Posted Jan 20, 2009 2:30 pm GMT

    I agree with Mr Manikin52 about having a Vietnam game. There has been alot for the PC but not many for consules... THe only one i can think of right now is Conflict: Vietnam wich was great in my opinion

  • Mr_Manikin52

    Posted Dec 30, 2008 4:05 pm GMT

    Modern Warfare + North Korea = Gold.

  • gokazz

    Posted Dec 13, 2008 11:17 am GMT

    well i heard that call of duty 6 will be cod:modern warfare 2(OMFG YAY!)all of you who dont like modern genre shooters then...ah screw it

  • Keitha313

    Posted Dec 6, 2008 11:11 am GMT

    Vietnam would be better but you know what Americans are like lol they just dont like getting reminders of the fact they LOST!! Sorry i couldnt help that, Sometimes a winning war isnt a winning game... We havent yet played on a losing side and theirs alot more emotion to be shown in that!.

    I for one aint looking forward to the storyline but the guns yes i can say im looking forward to that and thats about it, I just wish for once infinity ward would pull their heads out their ***** and do something productive with a story... And they better not ruin COD5's great efforts and everyone bad mouthing that game can just go shut up.

  • DBZ-Fighter

    Posted Dec 5, 2008 12:48 am GMT

    Hey what about the Balkans War!? Its really interesting and would be an awesome game.

  • GenVidTh

    Posted Dec 4, 2008 7:24 am GMT

    i think Infintity Ward MUST try to give some totaly new set and themes, like we never seen before..

    so it can make us addicted to this game^^hehe...

  • Da-Grand-Pooba

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 2:57 pm GMT

    "vietnam war anyone?"

    yes!!! it should be vietnam. they dont do enough vietnam games. and call of duty 6 would be the perfect oppurtunity to, besides it something new.

  • Mr_Manikin52

    Posted Nov 18, 2008 4:15 pm GMT

    The biggest war during the 50s, 60s, and 70s:...Vietnam.

  • mehulchristian

    Posted Nov 16, 2008 12:35 am GMT

    vietnam war anyone?

  • gdogtheman

    Posted Nov 10, 2008 1:13 am GMT

    look on youtube about call of duty future warfare

  • gdogtheman

    Posted Nov 10, 2008 1:11 am GMT

    what has every one got againt cod 5 its just another Game gezzz.

  • lsantos90

    Posted Nov 7, 2008 4:18 am GMT

    this is what i think 1 more year of ww2 aint that bad damn i mean just waitt next year on cod 6 we just go to leave modern 4 a year and then will be back on modern besides cod5 have zombies after finishing campaing pretty cool give ww2 1more chance and has cod4 engine so it cod4 mix with ww2 thnik about it guys!!!

  • gokazz

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 7:00 am GMT

    lol imagine this:
    call of duty 6:halo,master chief,arbiter WT?F?!

  • yichun4

    Posted Oct 26, 2008 9:40 am GMT

    Oh my god what do you people have against WWII i dont really care but I loved the WWII series better then the modern!

  • F-unit2008

    Posted Oct 13, 2008 8:09 am GMT

    Should be looking for a summer release or November again

  • Sonic7777777

    Posted Oct 12, 2008 7:26 pm GMT

    I think Call Of Duty 6 should be future warfare.

  • solidsnake2050

    Posted Oct 12, 2008 10:50 am GMT

    For COD 6- just stick with the modern and you MUST have the SAS in there again. Modern warfare+SAS= gold

  • jaypo11 posted Oct 11, 2008 2:22 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    jaypo11

    Posted Oct 11, 2008 2:22 pm GMT (hide)

    call of duty: Space Marines ?

  • azzune

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 1:04 pm GMT

    The Cod 6 under working
    and we don'n seen CoD 5 ?!!!!!!!!!!!?

  • brian_13un

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 2:01 am GMT

    Is this really gonna happen that fast

    unbelievable

  • shani_boy101

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 2:55 am GMT

    i agree with bloodshot191. COD had just broken out of the old WW2 mould, and then they gave it back to the WW2 lovers Treyarch. COD 6 thankfully is with Infinity Ward and they should stick with modern for the time being. Modern or near modern themed FPS games are turning out to be the best games compared to historic or future games.

    Excluding COD 4 take the Battlefield series for example. They released the future game BF 2142 a few years ago, and now they've changed to the modern setting in Bad Company which is awesome.

    MODERN GAMES FTW!!!

  • nate_puccio

    Posted Sep 22, 2008 1:49 pm GMT

    Sounds awsome, although I don't like world at war I'll let it slide because I have faith that call of duty 6 will be great and modern

  • bloodshot191

    Posted Sep 19, 2008 6:10 pm GMT

    i think cod should stay in modern era for a couple of games then go to future cuz if they make a future game to soon then that will kinda be it for cod

  • datpiffny

    Posted Sep 16, 2008 1:33 pm GMT

    no doubttt I cant wait for COD 6 to come out, it will prob be modern warfare... soo is COD:world at war considered to be COD5?

  • Kenji_Masamune

    Posted Sep 16, 2008 1:29 pm GMT

    IW knew that WW I/II, Vientnam, pacific theatre are played out so that's why they made modern that rocked all sorts of nuts. Here's hoping they go into the future, or at least least have vehicle combat like they did in COD2

  • poisondoom

    Posted Sep 16, 2008 1:07 pm GMT

    YES! this is what I liks to hear.

  • NejiHyuga85

    Posted Sep 15, 2008 4:12 pm GMT

    We're tired of the old and we just want to keep going forward!

  • MajorBrian

    Posted Sep 14, 2008 8:13 pm GMT

    Stay with the modern warfare idea!

  • sniperboy_recon

    Posted Sep 14, 2008 4:27 pm GMT

    i hope they dont go back to WWII...... i hope they go back to modern warfare but this time you can take cover.....

  • sniperboy_recon

    Posted Sep 14, 2008 4:27 pm GMT

    i hope they dont go back to WWII...... i hope they go back to modern warfare but this time you can take cover.....

  • sniperboy_recon

    Posted Sep 14, 2008 4:26 pm GMT

    i hope they dont make another WWII... it would be really cool if they go back to modern warfare but this time you can take cover.....

  • monk344432

    Posted Sep 13, 2008 3:27 pm GMT

    i think that they should leave the WWII era, they have pretty much done everything they can with WWII. Yea it is a major war but wow their are about what seven CoD games if you count the expansion and the PS2 one Big red one. I think they should move to Nam or Korea or expand the modern Era. I still will get Cod 5 as CoD 4 was awesome and a great game but i think it is time to move on in the series

  • kastrato90

    Posted Sep 13, 2008 9:04 am GMT

    they seriously must update their game engine. call of duty 2, 4 and 5 are based on the same engine. so it is just the same gameplay with different skins. why don't they learn something from crytek?

  • quietguy

    Posted Sep 11, 2008 3:30 pm GMT

    Jesus, now they're just spitting CoD out in factory form release just like EA does.

  • FallenGod666

    Posted Sep 11, 2008 3:22 pm GMT

    LMAO part 6 already, 5 didn't even come out yet

  • sniperboy_recon

    Posted Sep 8, 2008 3:19 pm GMT

    another Call of duty!!!!!!!!!!
    life doesnt get any better but does anybody know where the game is going to take place?

  • Mr_Manikin52

    Posted Sep 7, 2008 5:11 pm GMT

    The Vietnam War and the Arab-Israeli Wars would be really awesome. The 1960s and 1970s is my favorite time period in the 20th Century.

  • Kollawona

    Posted Sep 3, 2008 3:55 pm GMT

    umm why are they anounceing this when Call Of Duty 5 isn't even out yet? Thats dumb

  • mixmastermace

    Posted Sep 2, 2008 6:43 pm GMT

    "The invocation of studio alternation..."

    I... what?

  • sensei_hEnRY

    Posted Sep 1, 2008 2:24 am GMT

    new Call of Duty every year! Life is never this good!!!

  • Kriz48

    Posted Aug 29, 2008 12:17 pm GMT

    Is Call of duty 6 gonna be a RTS!?

  • Kriz48

    Posted Aug 29, 2008 12:15 pm GMT

    Me to!!!

  • Kriz48

    Posted Aug 29, 2008 12:15 pm GMT

    Me to!!!

  • IcanSpel

    Posted Aug 26, 2008 5:40 am GMT

    Call of duty 6...Ive only just heard of CoD5!

  • mariomijic

    Posted Aug 25, 2008 9:32 am GMT

    nice but my favorite is still united offensive

  • masterhalo43

    Posted Aug 24, 2008 11:42 am GMT

    YES,Infinity Ward is making another call of duty. Trust me on this one,its gonna be better than world at war. I hope.

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