In a recent interview, a developer who previously worked at Sledgehammer Games shed some light on why the sequel toCall of Duty: Advanced Warfarenever happened.Call of Duty: Advanced Warfarewas Sledgehammer’s first wholly original entry in theCall of Dutyseries and was emblematic of the franchise’s turn toward more futuristic settings.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfarewas released in 2014 and was and took players to the year 2054, which introduced sci-fi elements like Exo suits and laser weapons. Futuristic elements were not brand new to the series as 2012’sCall of Duty: Black Ops 2also took advantage of its sci-fi aesthetic, but the added boost of the Exos and energy weapons gaveAdvanced Warfareits own flavor. While these additions were not met positively by all players, the game still has a passionate fanbase, andrumors of a sequel toCall of Duty: Advanced Warfarehave continuously circulated in the near decade since its release.
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Bret Robbins, who was previously a creative director at Sledgehammer Games, cleared up some of the ambiguity surroundingAdvanced Warfare 2in a recent interview with MinnMax. He stated that a sequel toAdvanced Warfarewas in the works at one point and even had an early prototype, but the project was scrapped when Sledgehammer was given the chance to work onCall of Duty: WW2which Robbins felt was “a better opportunity.“Call of Dutyfamously began as a World War 2 shooter series similar to othergames that take place in World War 2such asMedal of Honor, theBrothers in Armsseries, and some earlyBattlefieldgames.
Another one of Sledgehammer’s unreleased projects was a third-person action game that Robbins described as “UnchartedmeetsCall of Duty.” This project was dropped when Sledgehammer collaborated with Infinity Ward onCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. When asked if he would rather revive this project or work on a sequel toAdvanced Warfare, Robbins chose the latter. He cited the fact that unlikeModern Warfare 3which picked up where Infinity Ward left off,Advanced Warfarewas their own original project, affirming that “everything about it was Sledgehammer’s.” Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg previously stated thatSledgehammer Games wanted to work onAdvanced Warfare 2but ultimately moved on to other projects instead.
Many casual fans ofCall of Dutymay only rememberCall of Duty: Advanced Warfarefor its poorly aged celebrity casting or the “press F to pay respects” meme which has since become one of themost iconic video game memes. However, the game evidently still has an active fanbase as rumors of its sequel have consistently cropped up over the years. With Bret Robbins no longer at Sledgehammer and it now being nearly ten years sinceAdvanced Warfare’s release, a sequel is unlikely to happen any time soon. But if enough fans make their voices heard, the prospect of anAdvanced Warfarefollow-up may still be possible.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfareis available for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
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