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Report: Neversoft Losing Name And Merging With Infinity Ward To Form Larger Studio
After helping Infinity Ward with the development of Call of Duty: Ghosts, reports have surfaced pointing to a merger between the two studios and the abandonment of the Neversoft name.
Giant Bomb reportedly uncovered an internal memo detailing the merger from Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg. In the memo, Hirshberg writes how successful the partnership between the two studios was for Call of Duty: Ghosts and how, "it seemed like a single 'super-studio' could emerge."
The resulting partnership means the name Neversoft will be abandoned. The newly expanded Infinity Ward hasn't been confirmed to be working on the next Call of Duty, but it's a fair assumption considering Hirshberg's reasoning behind the two studios taking the name Infinity Ward. Hirshberg wrote, "Since the Infinity Ward brand is indelibly tied to the Call of Duty franchise, it is the sensible choice."
According to the memo, the merger also marks the retirement of Neversoft studio head Joel Jewett and studio director Scott Pease. The two will remain with the studio during the transition, but are expected to leave later this year.
For more details on the reported merger, including additional quotes, check out Giant Bomb.
During our coverage of Call of Duty: Ghosts, we filmed an interview with Infinity Ward's executive producer Mark Rubin and Eric Hirshberg about bringing in multiple studios to assist in development. You can check it out below.
For more Call of Duty details, check out the latest on the upcoming Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
[Source: Giant Bomb]
Our Take
As Call of Duty development costs expand into the new-generation of consoles, it's no surprise to see larger studios become necessary for the development of AAA titles. I'm a little disappointed to see the Neversoft name fall by the wayside as I associate the studio with my fondest Tony Hawk memories, but I am happy the creative side of the developer will continue on, even if it has a different name.
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