Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare 2 Reportedly Canceled for MW3

Advanced Warfare 2 nearly happened before MW3.

By Cade Onder

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare 2 was apparently something that Sledgehammer Games intended to make until Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 came about. The Call of Duty series has gone through a lot of different phases. It started out as a historical World War II shooter, allowing players to experience major moments in history first-hand. It then transitioned into the modern era with the very successful Modern Warfare series, quickly going from something replicating things in the headlines in real life to an over-the-top blockbuster about World War III. After fans grew tired of that, Call of Duty made a drastic change and went into the future. This was very controversial at the time as games like Advanced Warfare added jet packs to allow for faster and more vertical movement, something that fans appreciate a bit more in hindsight.

Now that fans look back on Advanced Warfare more fondly, Sledgehammer Games seemed ready to revisit that series. According to a new report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Sledgehammer Games had pitched a new game in the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare universe. It's unclear if this would've been a direct sequel or something else, but it's clear more Advanced Warfare was in the works. This new game would've included a new campaign, new multiplayer content, and more Zombies. Unfortunately, before the project could get very far, Activison stepped in and told Sledgehammer that it would be shelving the new Advanced Warfare game in favor of Modern Warfare 3. The version of Modern Warfare 3 that Sledgehammer would begin working on would change quite a bit over the course of its development. It's worth noting that Sledgehammer Games has released a statement denying some of the claims in the Bloomberg report, noting that the team is proud of the game they are shipping this week.

"We're proud to be the team to lead the way on Modern Warfare III," said studio head Aaron Halon. "We have worked hard to deliver on this vision which has been years in the making. Anything said to the contrary is simply not true – this is our game and we cannot wait to play it online with all of you."

Modern Warfare 3 was reportedly made to fill a gap in the Call of Duty release schedule. Activision deemed it easier to make a direct sequel to last year's game rather than try and make something completely new in time for 2023. Whether or not Sledgehammer Games will make Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare 2 now that Modern Warfare 3 is done remains to be seen. Sledgehammer Games has been working over time on this franchise for several years now, so one would hope Activision would let the studio actually make something it seems most passionate about, but it remains to be seen.

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