A memo obtained by Giant Bomb, Eric Hirshberg CEO of Activision, confirmed that Neversoft and Infinity Ward will merge into a “super-studio”.
Neversoft previously helped Infinity Ward developed Call of Duty: Ghosts. Now it would seem that the development studios has came through with a decision, Infinity Ward will keep its name, but “Neversoft” will be no more. Not only that but Steve Ackrich will remain his leadership role for Infinity Ward while Neversoft studio head Joel Jewett and studio director Scott Pease will retire with both being in the gaming industry for 20 years, their departure is said to be sometime this year.
“As you know, Neversoft and Infinity Ward teamed up for the development of Call of Duty: Ghosts,” wrote Hirshberg. “And through that process, it became clear that the two studios have very complementary skill sets. Between these two excellent studios, it seemed like a single ‘super-studio’ could emerge.”
“The impact of their 20-year run of hard work and success cannot be overstated. As already mentioned, we are merging these two very talented teams and obviously had to choose a name for the combined studio. Since the Infinity Ward brand is indelibly tied to the Call of Duty franchise, it is the sensible choice. While it will be strange to not see the Neversoft logo on future games, the important things–which are the Neversoft team’s talent, creativity, professionalism and commitment to creative excellence–all remain unchanged as part of this new chapter.”
“As a gamer, all I can say is that I hope both Joel and Scott come of ‘out of retirement’ someday and develop more great Activision games for us all to play. As a colleague of Joel and Scott’s, all I can say is thank you and congratulations on an incredible run.”
“I am very much looking forward to what the new Infinity Ward will deliver in the near future.”
For more on Call of Duty, stay tuned with PSG.