Modern Warfare-themed countdown site a 'hoax' - Activision

Last week a Modern Warfare-themed countdown site dubbed Findmakarov.com went live and sparked rumors that Activision would reveal its latest Call of Duty project at this week's Game Developers Conference.

Now, that notion appears to be false.

In a statement sent to GameSpot, Activision said the following about the website: "There seems to be a great deal of speculation about the next Call of Duty project. Let me be clear that we are not revealing [anything] yet. Anything indicating otherwise is a hoax."

According to Game Slice, the countdown site is not for Modern Warfare 3, but rather it is a marketing campaign for a Call of Duty-inspired indie film from Toronto, Canada, studio We Can Pretend. The studio has apparently produced such shorts as Doritos Tablet and Wateraid.

Additionally, Game Slice reports it has a still from the upcoming film, which sheds light on what the project might entail. The frame shows Modern Warfare 2's Simon "Ghost" Riley sitting inside some sort of military vehicle sporting his trademark mask.

Findmakarov.com's countdown clock ends at 7 a.m. PST on Wednesday, March 2. The date marks the busiest day of the Game Developers Conference, one that will see both the GDCAs and a keynote address by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. It is also the day that Apple is holding a nearby press conference at which it will likely unveil the next iPad.

When the Modern Warfare 3 reveal comes, it will be for a game with a checkered development history. Though not yet officially announced by Activision, the game is rumored to be in the works at Infinity Ward, a studio that spent much of last year racked by controversy. Following the firing of its cofounders Jason West and Vince Zampella, the Los Angeles shop saw massive staff defections. However, rumors have the game still in the works at a "reconstructed" Infinity Ward, albeit with the assistance of two other Activision studios: Madison, Wisconsin-based Raven Software and Redwood City, CA-based Sledgehammer Games.