Activision recently made the controversial decision tofocus developer Toys for Bob’s efforts on theCall of Duty: Warzonebattle royale, relegating yet another one of its studios to its mega-popular first-person shooter franchise. This decision proved to be especially controversial as Toys for Bob had recently launched the critically-acclaimedCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, and so now the future of that franchise, as well asSpyro the Dragon, is in question.
With Toys for Bob’s efforts being focused onCall of Duty: Warzone, it is now the ninth Activision studio to be working on theCall of Dutyfranchise in some capacity. Since there are so many Activision studios now working onCall of Duty, fans may have a hard time keeping track of who is doing what and may be curious about what these studios were making before they were relegated to theCall of Dutyfranchise.
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Here are all of the Activision studios that are actively working on theCall of Dutyfranchise.
Activision Shanghai
Activision Shanghai is perhaps one of the lesser-knownCall of Dutystudios, and that’s because its presence isn’t really felt outside of China. Activision Shanghai is the studio behind the China-onlyCall of Duty Onlinefree-to-play game, which includes a variety of content pulled from various games in theCall of Dutyfranchise. Activision Shanghai sharesCall of Duty Online’s development responsibilities with Raven Software.
Beenox
Beenox was acquired by Activision in 2005, with the studio put to work on various licensed gaming projects. Its first project under the Activision umbrella was theBee Moviegame, but it would later go on to develop a number ofSpider-Manvideo games, which is what it’s perhaps best known for. Beenox also helped develop games in theSkylandersandGuitar Heroseries before it was put on theCall of Dutyfranchise with 2015’sCall of Duty: Black Ops 3.
Since then, Beenox has served in a supporting role for numerousCall of Dutytitles, as well as other Activision projects, likeCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About TimeandTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2. More recently,Beenox handled the PC port ofCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, giving the studio a bit more responsibility than it has with some of the otherCall of Dutygames that it’s helped develop for.
Demonware
Demonware is mainly focused on developing matchmaking and other online technology that’s used in theCall of Dutyfranchisefor its online multiplayer modes. It’s not a game development studio per se, but it is still owned by Activision and plays a hugely important role in eachCall of Dutyinstallment.
High Moon Studios
Prior to supporting theCall of Dutyfranchise, High Moon Studios put out the original IPDarkwatch, which earned relatively strong reviews at the time of its release in 2005. It then worked on a variety of licensed games, including the well-receivedTransformers: War for Cybertronand its sequel,Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. High Moon Studios also developed the2013Deadpoolgamethat earned somewhat mixed reviews, but still managed to cultivate a cult following.
After the launch ofDeadpool, High Moon Studios suffered layoffs, and the studio was then positioned as a support studio forCall of Dutyand other Activision titles, likeDestinyandDestiny 2. High Moon recently supported bothCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarandCall of Duty: Modern Warfarewhile they were in development.
Infinity Ward
While most of the video game studios assigned to theCall of Dutyfranchise previously worked on other products, Infinity Ward is an exception to the rule. Infinity Ward has worked exclusively onCall of Dutygames since the firstCall of Dutylaunched in 2003, and it has gone on to produce some of the most innovative and popular games in theCall of Dutyfranchise. Infinity Ward is one of theCall of Dutyfranchise’s lead developers, having developedCall of Duty 2, the originalModern Warfaretrilogy, and2019’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfarereboot.
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Infinity Ward certainly has an impressive track record when it comes to theCall of Dutyfranchise, but it’s worth pointing out that the studio also released a couple of the most poorly-receivedCall of Dutygames as well.Call of Duty: GhostsandCall of Duty: Infinite Warfareare both generally considered to be lowpoints in the long-running franchise, though Infinity Ward seems to have gotten things back on track with theModern Warfarereboot, which has proven to be quite popular with fans.
Raven Software
Raven Software is one of the oldest studios under the Activision umbrella, having been established all the way back in 1990. Raven Software has developed all kinds of games since its formation in the early 90s, though it has specialized in first-person shooter titles. Raven Software’s last completely original game was 2010’sSingularity, which didn’t exactly earn strong sales, but was generally well-received by both fans and critics.
After decades of releasing original IP, licensed games, and more, Raven Software was moved to theCall of Dutyfranchise. In 2010, Raven supported Treyarch in the development of the firstCall of Duty: Black Ops, and also assisted with developing the game’s DLC. Raven Software would then have a supporting role in nearly everyCall of Dutygame released since then, but it has since been given a more significant role in the franchise.
With 2020’sCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Raven Software was allowed to lead development on the game’s single-player campaign, marking the studio’s first single-player campaign sinceSingularityreleased 10 years earlier.Black Ops Cold War’s campaignearned relatively strong reviews for theCall of Dutyfranchise, and now Raven is at the forefront of supporting theCall of Duty: Warzonebattle royale.
Sledgehammer Games
Sledgehammer Games was founded by developers who previously worked on theDead Spacefranchise, though the studio has never really delved into horror. Instead it has served as the third lead developer for theCall of Dutyfranchise alongside Infinity Ward and Treyarch, developing titles such asCall of Duty: Advanced WarfareandCall of Duty: WW2, while also assisting in the development of various otherCall of Dutytitles as well.
Sledgehammer Games is believed to be the lead developer for the 2021Call of Dutygame.2021’sCall of Dutyhas yet to be revealed in an official capacity, but reliable leakers have said that the game is calledCall of Duty: Vanguard, and it will once again feature a World War 2 setting. Whether or not there’s any truth to those claims remains to be seen, but hopefully more information comes to light sooner rather than later.
Toys for Bob
Like Raven Software, Toys for Bob has been around for quite some time, having been formed in 1989. While under the Activision umbrella, Toys for Bob is perhaps best known for its work on theSkylandersfranchise and eventuallyCrash Bandicoot, havingdevelopedCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timeas well asSpyro Reignited Trilogy.
While many had assumed that Toys for Bob was going to make a newSpyro the Dragongame next, the studio is instead working onCall of Duty: Warzone, serving as yet another support studio for the popular battle royale game.
Treyarch
Prior to working on theCall of Dutyfranchise, Treyarch mainly worked on licensed games, including the video game adaptations of the Toby MaguireSpider-Manmovies. The peak of Treyarch’s work on theSpider-Manfranchise arguably came with theSpider-Man 2video game adaptation, which gave players an open world and the ability to swing around it freely as Spider-Man, features that are still seen inSpider-Manvideo games to this day.
Treyarch is one of the lead developers for theCall of Dutyfranchise nowadays, ever since it was entrusted with the first non-Infinity Ward developed main seriesCall of Dutygame, 2006’sCall of Duty 3. Treyarch would then go on to makeCall of Duty: World at War, where it innovated the franchise’s Zombies mode. Treyarch-developedCall of Dutygames then became associated with the Zombies game mode, which has been a staple of every installment since.
Due to some behind-the-scenes issues, Treyarch was pulled in to developingCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, mainly developing that game’s multiplayer and Zombies mode. Presumably, Treyarch will get a couple of years to make its next project while Sledgehammer makes 2021’sCall of Dutygame andInfinity Ward makes 2022’sCall of Duty, whatever that may end up being.
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