Sledgehammer pounding out Call of Duty FPS

When Activision first revealed that Sledgehammer Games was working on a Call of Duty title, it specifically said the game "will extend the franchise into the action adventure genre." Whatever tweaks the developer makes to the gameplay formula, the end result will apparently still fall under the series' standard first-person shooter description.

A number of job postings on Sledgehammer's official Web site state in no uncertain terms, "We are actively recruiting top talent for our Call of Duty First Person Shooter development team." However, not all the available positions include that phrasing; a post for a senior sound designer lists the team as making "an action title in the Call of Duty franchise."

Whether the first-person shooter is the same game or a separate project from the previously confirmed action adventure is unknown. As of press time, an Activision representative had not returned a request for clarification.

After firing the cofounders of original Call of Duty studio Infinity Ward, Activision put its plans for the series into overdrive, setting up a dedicated Call of Duty business division. The publisher's slate already includes November's Call of Duty: Black Ops from Treyarch, a new Call of Duty from Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer's action adventure, and a Call of Duty massively multiplayer online game. Activision has also trademarked a number of potential Call of Duty titles, and rumors have surfaced about Raven Software working on the franchise.