Two studios making this year's Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Activision promises "near photorealistic" world

In a press release this afternoon, Activision formally announced Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and revealed that two studios are working to bring the game to market this November. Sledgehammer Games is working on the Xbox One/PlayStation 4/PC versions, while a separate studio to be named later is handling the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 versions. Multiplayer shooter Titanfall was developed in a similar way; Respawn Entertainment handled the Xbox One and PC versions, while Bluepoint Games developed the Xbox 360 iteration.

There's no mention of a Wii U version for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the first entry in the blockbuster series developed as part of Activision's new three-year, three-studio development cycle. That's not the only first. It's also the first game in the franchise where characters will have super-abilities through an exoskeleton suit. Activision also promises a "riveting" new story, led by Academy Award winning actor Kevin Spacey, who plays Jonathan Irons, the leader of a fictional private military corporation.

"It's been a lot of fun working with the team to bring Jonathan Irons to life. The technology is truly remarkable and unlike anything I've done before. I'm excited to see where this goes," Spacey said in a statement.

Here's how Activision sets up the story for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare:

"Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare jolts players forward in a groundbreaking experience that's ripped-from-the-headlines-of-tomorrow, envisioning a future where both technology and tactics have evolved to usher in a new era of combat for the franchise. Set in the year 2054, a private military corporation (PMC) has emerged with the power to rescue humanity from a devastated world struggling to rebuild after a global attack on its military and infrastructure. You are the advanced soldier. Empowered with new, cutting-edge exoskeleton abilities, technological advancements, and high-tech gear, players join the ranks of a highly-trained, specialized unit committed to restoring order in a state of advanced warfare."

According to to Activision, the new three-year Call of Duty development cycle meant that Sledgehammer Games was able to create a "near photorealistic world unlike any Call of Duty before."

"With the expanded production capabilities, Sledgehammer Games is able to create an astonishing new, next generation experience, featuring an array of technical advancements from the sights and sounds that create a near photorealistic world unlike any Call of Duty before, to new performance capture and facial animation technologies that deliver lifelike characters, to a rich and immersive story that brings the fiction to life," Activision said.

For more on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, be sure to read GameSpot's previous coverage.