Treyarch to release Call of Duty: Black Ops 5 in 2020 as Sledgehammer game dropped
Sledgehammer Games has apparently had their next entry in the Call of Duty series put on hold, with Treyarch taking over for the 2020 release, according to a report from Kotaku.
The report, published on May 18, claims that SHG’s attempt at the 2020 Call of Duty is in a ‘mess’, and that trusted developers Treyarch have been drafted in.
Activision told both developers earlier in May, putting the planned 2020 release from Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software on hold.
Treyarch’s last title was Black Ops 4, released in October 2018.Treyarch will be expected to release a fifth entry in the Call of Duty series, and Kotaku says that Sledgehammer and Raven will now support them in its development.
“Treyarch, based in Santa Monica, California, is in charge of leading Call of Duty: Black Ops 5 for 2020,” the report states.
Kotaku’s sources apparently also confirmed that the game’s campaign will be set in the Cold War era, which Sledgehammer and Raven had been working on, and is also expected to be released on both the current-gen consoles, as well as next-gen PlayStation and Xbox.
Sledgehammer’s last Call of Duty was WWII, released in November 2017.Sledgehammer’s last Call of Duty release was 2017’s WWII, which despite initial hype and very strong sales, received mixed reaction from the fans.
Kotaku’s sources say that Raven Sofware was in fact the lead developer on the 2020 title, with Sledgehammer working as the supporting studio, until the decision to push forward Treyarch’s new game.
Previous to Sledgehammer’s Advanced Warfare, released in 2014, Call of Duty games had been developer by Treyarch and Infinity Ward exclusively, on a two year cycle.
Now, Treyarch will have one year less to produce their next CoD, but will have Sledgehammer and Raven to support.