Activision enlists third COD studio

Activision has dedicated a third developer to the record-breaking Call of Duty series and lessened the strain on Treyarch and Infinity Ward, according to a report.

The Los Angeles Times offers no further detail to back up its claim, but does talk of a possible Call of Duty MMO - a game Activision boss Bobby Kotick has teased in the past.

Or this mysterious third studio could slip into the familiar rhythm of producing an alternate Call of Duty instalment alongside Treyarch and Infinity Ward, a move that could theoretically lengthen the development time of each. Or perhaps the developer has been drafted in to handle iPhone and mobile ports, or to tackle DS, PSP and Wii variations.

News of a third studio arrives a day after Activision unveiled Sledgehammer Games, a new in-house studio lead by Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey of Dead Space fame.