Activision Announces New Studio Making "All-New Franchise"

Activision, the gaming giant behind Call of Duty, has announced a new studio based in Europe--Elsewhere Entertainment--that is creating an "all-new franchise." This will be a "narrative-based IP," but the company did not confirm any further details on the project.

GameSpot understands this will not be a new Call of Duty project and that the team has been working quietly on the game for some time. Activision investing in a non-sequel or franchise extension is a big move, as the company has in recent years tripled down on Call of Duty.

Elsewhere Entertainment, based in Warsaw, Poland, is Activision's second studio in Poland, joining the Infinity Ward team in Krakow. Resources from Activision's US teams are working with Elsewhere.

Activision is known best for its mega-franchise Call of Duty and hasn't published a new, original IP since Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice in 2019. Prior to that, Activision published Bungie's Destiny series before Bungie bought the franchise back and split off from Activision (and was later acquired by Sony).

Elsewhere is staffed by people who worked on The Last of Us, Uncharted, The Witcher, Cyberpunk, Destiny, The Division, and Far Cry, though Activision did not provide the names of any specific employees at the company. The studio is actively hiring for a variety of roles currently. It sounds like it's early days for this new Activision game, and there is no word yet on a release window or platforms, including whether or not it will be exclusive on console to Xbox given Activision's stance as a Microsoft-owned company.

Also worth noting is that Activision is now owned by Microsoft, so Elsewhere is part of the wider Microsoft umbrella. Microsoft has made headlines recently for mass layoffs and studio closures at Xbox.

In other Activision news, many are expecting the company to announce the next Call of Duty game soon. It's widely expected that Treyarch is making the next Black Ops game, and if history repeats itself, the game could be teased within Warzone before its public debut. Microsoft's Xbox Games Showcase in June will be followed by a mystery event that could be a dedicated broadcast for the next Call of Duty.