Activision announced today that the next title in its hit
Call of Duty franchise,
Modern Warfare 3, will be available worldwide on November 8.
The announcement confirms
earlier leaked reports of the game's planned November release, which also included extensive information about purported art and gameplay for the title.
The official announcement also confirms Sledgehammer Games' involvement in developing the title, along with long-time
Modern Warfare stewards Infinity Ward.
Sledgehammer was
known to be working on the series in some capacity after dozens of employees left Infinity Ward following Activision's controversial removal of Infinity Ward heads Vince Zampella and Jason West.
Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg
later said that leak turned into a marketing opportunity for the company, with millions of fans checking out online trailers for the game in its wake.
Hirshberg also said the leak forced the company to
shift its marketing plan for the game earlier than expected, releasing assets and launching presale programs "in no-time flat" to take advantage of the fan interest.
2007's
Modern Warfare and its 2009 sequel have become the 10th and 4th top-selling releases of all time by new U.S. sales revenue, respectively, according to
data recently released by NPD.
