Treyarch has 007's next-gen number

Treyarch sure is a busy place these days. Besides being the developer of the Spider-Man games, the Santa Monica-based, Activision-owned developer is working one of its parent company's biggest titles--Call of Duty 3 for the Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

Now, it has been revealed that Treyarch has been handed another high-profile franchise. A job listing on the Activision Web site is currently accepting applications for the position of "Gameplay Designer, Bond." "Treyarch is looking for a Gameplay Designer for our upcoming Bond title," reads the listing.

The job post goes on to emphasize that "the studio is focusing on developing and hiring for next-gen titles," indicating that the Bond game in question will appear on at least one next-generation console. However, Activision declined to specify any platforms. "We don't have anything else to add other than what was posted online," said a rep.

In May, Activision acquired "worldwide rights to create video games for all current- and next-generation consoles, PC, and handheld platforms" based on the James Bond character. Previously, Electronic Arts had the license but opted out of its contract with MGM and the production company EON, owners of the James Bond film license. Recently, Sony bought MGM in a multibillion-dollar deal.

The Activision deal includes both original games set in the Bond universe and games based on new films, such as the forthcoming Casino Royale. Royale will be the first film to feature Daniel Craig (pictured--Layer Cake, Munich) in the role of Agent 007 and is slated to hit theaters on November 17.