Modern Warfare 2 waging Nov. 10, not Call of Duty-branded

SAN FRANCISCO--At the beginning of today's Game Developers Choice Awards, Meggan Scavio issued a less-than-cryptic teaser. Before the first statuette was handed out, the 2009 Game Developers Conference director declared that "our friends at Infinity Ward" had given event organizers something to show after the Game of the Year was named.

Sure enough, right after surprise winner Fallout 3 walked off with the coveted honors, the lights went down, the Infinity Ward logo came up, and the following trailer played:

Though stylishly obscured, the visual and audio cues appear to depict a group of men walking into an elevator in a crowded public area, perhaps an airport or a mall. While in the elevator, they unzip bags, and the sound of automatic weapons being cocked is heard. After a comment in a foreign language, the words "Remember, no Russian" are uttered. The doors open on the second floor, the sound of a laughter-limned crowd is heard--followed by gunfire and screams--apparently the beginning of a Mumbai-style terrorist attack.

Given that Russian separatists are one of the main enemy factions in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the trailer's clear implication is that they're back for revenge in the sequel. Judging by the montage of international locales, military hardware, and massive destruction that follows--again, obscured by a green filter--the aforementioned attack appears to have set off another round of global conflict. The world will find out on November 10, the date flashed across the screen at the video clip's end.

As the trailer unspooled at the GDCAs, Infinity Ward also launched a reported Modern Warfare 2 teaser site. First hinted at in August 2008, the game was confirmed by an event leak and a studio staffer's Twitter feed. Activision made the game's existence official when it reported a $72 million loss on record quarterly earnings last month.

[UDPATE] An official press release sent out the subsequent morning confirms that Modern Warfare 2 will not bear the "Call of Duty" prefix. Activision had not answered questions about whether or not the game was the unique new IP that Infinity Ward mentioned when it revealed that its top talent had signed long-term contracts with Activision last July.