Black Ops brings Call of Duty to Vietnam

by Stevie Smith - May 3 2010, 11:18

With flagship studio Infinity Ward haemorrhaging staff at an alarming rate following the departure of Call of Duty creators Vince Zampella and Jason West, publisher Activision has been hard at work papering over any ominous cracks -- especially those involving millions of dollars in reportedly unpaid staff bonuses.

Specifically, Activision Blizzard last week announced a shock partnership with Halo-creator Bungie, which will tie the renowned developer's next gaming franchise to Activision for a period of 10 years.

And now, in an effort to further divert attention from Infinity Ward, the publisher has turned the Call of Duty spotlight onto series stalwart Treyarch (World at War) and its upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops.

"We at Treyarch are excited to reveal our latest development -- Call of Duty: Black Ops," enthused the longstanding developer. "We have focused our entire studio on this game, with dedicated multiplayer, single-player and co-op teams creating the most intense, gripping and riveting experience possible for our fans on all fronts."

Despite the steady procession of staff heading for the door (and possibly Zampella and West's new EA-back studio Respawn Entertainment), over at Infinity Ward the studio behind Activision's behemoth Modern Warfare series is still apparently working on Modern Warfare 3.

Announced alongside an official Web site and teaser trailer (which indicates a possible shift of gameplay focus to the jungles of Vietnam), the latest Call of Duty entrant is heading for a November 09 release on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Unconfirmed rumours regarding the 'when and where' of Black Ops suggest the game will be set after World War II but before modern day, and will unfold across a selection of international locations ranging from Cuba to South America.

Citing "undisclosed sources at Activision," Call of Duty watchers Tek9 even believe the game will include a playable version of Operation Nimrod, the infamous SAS raid that ended a siege at the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980.

Around the Web