In a shocking turn of events Sledgehammer Games founders Michael Condrey and Glen Schofield have officially departed from the studio after nearly a decade with contributions being made to the commercially successful Call of Duty such as Advanced Warfare and WW II.
However, the duo is not moving that far away from the first person shooter franchise. Schofield and Condrey have assumed executive-level positions at publisher Activision, with Aaron Halon taking over Sledgehammer Games in their absence. It is not clear at this moment as to what caused them to depart, but they are departing on a positive note. Last year, Call of Duty: WW II was ranked as the number one best selling game of 2017 after earning over half a billion dollars in sales during its launch weekend on the Playstation 4.
Sledgehammer Games was founded by Schofield and Condrey in 2009, and were set to develop a Call of Duty game set during the Vietnam War. This plan was eventually scrapped. Instead, the studio assisted in developing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Sledgehammer would later go on to develop the widely polarizing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare before churning out the franchise’s return to the Second World War.
Both executives have commented on the move with Condrey stating that his time at Sledgehammer was the “greatest experience of his professional life.” while Schofield simply stated that it was “an opportunity he simply could not pass up.”
Schofield and Condrey are both seasoned veterans of the gaming industry, having previously worked on the original Dead Space at Visceral Games, which was recently closed down last year.
What this means for the future of the Call of Duty franchise at this present moment is unknown but some are speculating that it could signal the beginning of a more consistent and uniform approach in how each installment is developed, which some critics have cited is a major flaw within the franchise with three entirely different studios developing the games. Call of Duty is currently developed by Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, and Treyarch.
What do you think of this news? Are you excited to see a potential shift in the Call of Duty franchise? Let us know in the comments section down below!
