Activision Blizzard had an "analysts day" conference call today. Plenty of stuff to get through from it, but first things first: confirming earlier "leapfrog" assumptions, it's been announced that the next Call of Duty game will be brought to us by Infinity Ward. Good news for those who still, for some reason, think it's funny to hate on Treyarch, but for everyone else, it probably only confirms what you probably already assumed. Sadly no mention of any sci-fi take on the series, but there's plenty of time - and trade shows - for that particular mystery to be resolved.

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As we mentioned last week, this weekend is a special double XP weekend for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare players, though now it's now an Xbox 360 only weekend, with PS3 fans most likely getting the treatment a week later. Also exclusive to Xbox Live is a special half price sale on the Game of the Year Variety map pack. The pack will be slashed from 800 Microsoft points to 400 from 12:01am Pacific on the 12th to midnight on the 14th, which coincides with the double XP event. Honestly I can't see how anyone still playing Call of Duty 4 doesn't already have this pack, but it's a nice gesture.

This weekend will also see members of Infinity Ward entering the fray between noon and 4pm on Saturday to play with their fans, so be sure to hit the jump, write down their gamertags, and start coming up with countless annoying questions to bombard them with as they struggle with the frustration of having to work on a Saturday.

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Infinity Ward Director of Communications / Community Manager Robert Bowling reveals in his IAMfourzerotwo blog that he is currently readying promotional materials for a big Call of Duty 4 event taking place next weekend over Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. In his post he drops those two little words that CoD players (mainly those of us that suck) love to hear: Double XP.

I'm currently working on getting everything organised and together for an upcoming Xbox Live / PSN promotion we have coming up the weekend of Sept. 13th - 14th. Which isn't this weekend, but next weekend. I will have exact details on what it is in the near future but I have a gut feeling it'll have Double XP attached to it for all those hungry for some power-leveling on Call of Duty 4.

Bowling further explained that he is hoping to get the new playlists finished in time to make it one big promotion. Woot!

Double XP Is Imminent [IAMfourzerotwo]

Call of Duty 4 is great. We like it, you like it and Bungie sure as shit likes it. Doesn't matter if Bungie's Halo 3 and Infinity Ward's CoD4 duke it out over most played XBLA title, Bungie looks at the game as a possible source of inspiration. As Bungie's Lead AI Programmer Damian Isla (pictured, compressed) points out:

We have a lot to learn from their success too, they did some very innovative things to keep people going and their experience-rewards system was something that we paid a lot of attention to... I think it's a great game and single player obviously is fantastic... They did a hell of a job with their set pieces, of scripting certain moments that they were really sure the player was going to actually see and experience first hand. The way that they use those moments to craft the player experience... Halo has a lot to learn from.

Always nice to see developer take another's work, incorporate it and hopefully improve what they do. Warm fuzzy feelings all around!

Bungie: We've got a lot to learn from Call of Duty 4 [Games Industry] [Pic]

You wouldn't be surprised to learn that "an all-new Call of Duty" title will be released in 2009, would you? Good, because that's exactly what's going to happen, according to Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who talked up the next Call of Duty in a post earnings release con call.

Kotick said that the publisher will "leapfrog" studios, which we'll assume to mean that, since Treyarch is hard at work on Call of Duty: World At War, that Call of Duty 4 developer Infinity Ward will be taking the reins on this one.

The Infinity Ward team has one unspecified project in the works for Activision, whom it just re-signed with, rumoured to possibly have a sci-fi bent to it. Space marines? It's just crazy enough to work.

Newly-merged Activision Blizzard are the world's #1 publisher for a reason. Well, four reasons: World of Warcraft, Tony Hawk's, Call of Duty and Guitar Hero. So with the ink only just drying on the Activision/Blizzard merger, it makes sense for the new company to move to secure the talent behind those games. Variety reports that all the "top execs" at Blizzard have been signed to new, five-year deals, company boss Robert Kotick saying "We realised it would be impossible to compete [with 'World of Warcraft'] and so ultimately my only issue was making sure they were committed for at least five years". Smart move. The heads of Infinity Ward and Neversoft have also been signed to new deals, locking in most of the new mega-publishers top talent. Here's to five more uninterrupted years of Guitar Hero and Call of Duty!

Blizzard, Infinity Ward, Neversoft execs sign long term contracts with Activision Blizzard [Variety]

You know Infinity Ward for their work on Call of Duty, you love Infinity Ward for their work on Call of Duty. But nobody, not even Infinity Ward, can make Call of Duty games forever. It'd get boring. So it's nice to hear that, fresh off a re-up of its publishing deal with Activision, Infinity Ward has quietly announced that it's not only started on its "future project" (future? Like, sci-fi future?), but that it will also give the company the chance to build a "unique new IP by Infinity Ward, that we'll have complete control over". Exciting! For Infinity Ward, that is. Sure the words "complete control" don't look quite so good to the "port it to everything!" crowd at Activision HQ.

The Future of Infinity Ward [IW]

It's time to turn down the lights down real low. Set the mood, right. Previously, Microsoft exec and ladies man Aaron Greenberg talked up Bill Gates hot tub habits with two Penthouse Pets. This time it is Robert Bowling from Infinity Ward's turn. Robert Bowling? Yes, ROBERT BOWLING. He talks to the Pets about his part in Call of Duty 4:

Penthouse Lady: You are behind Call of Duty 4, right?
Robert Bowling: Uh, yeah. I'm the Community Manager for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warefare and Infinity Ward, which is the developer.
Penthouse Lady: Right on.

Phew. Good thing that wasn't all awkward. It sure could've been. These clips are from GDC and will never get old. Never.

In Bed With The Pets [Das Gamer via videogaming247]

An alleged insider allegedly with Infinity Ward allegedly told TalkPlayStation.com that the Call of Duty 4 developer is "currently working on a new sci-fi title". And then they clam up pretty fast, saying no more info is on the way and, conveniently, we "may or may not announce it at E3".

So there's a 50 percent chance this tip's got legs. As in, they're either making the game, or not. Computerandvideogames.com goes so far as to speculate it's a CoD/SciFi shooter. Granted, CoD is the studio's only title but come on. That's still like saying the guy that brought you "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is now making an Indiana Jones movie with aliens in it. Oh wait ...

COD4 Developers Making Sci-Fi Title [TalkPlayStation.com via Computerandvideogames.com]

The first details about upcoming Call of Duty 5 hit today. Unlike the modern CoD4, CoD5 will return to WWII. The game will be set in the Pacific Theatre. Also unlike CoD4, the game won't be developed by Infinity Ward, but CoD3 dev Treyarch. The upcoming title will feature co-op — a first for the series. Also, multiplayer will feature vehicles and squad-elements as well. The game is truly multi-plat, and the Wii version is being developed by a separate Treyarch team and will support the Wii Zapper. The game is gritty, apparently. How gritty?

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