Treyarch: Call of Duty isn't going 'back' to WWII

Call of Duty: World at War began life right after Call of Duty 3, before Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released. So, following this logic, "there was no modern warfare" when World at War was conceived, Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia told Joystiq, responding to skeptics who fear that the series' return to World War II will be a return to mediocrity. In fact, Call of Duty's "B Team" alternate developer doesn't consider its next entry a rehash at all. "We don't really look at it like we're going back to World War II," said Lamia. "For [Treyarch], it's totally new."

COD: WAW CODE 7: JWGTP-9FCDW-WVRXM-7XX3M-W76PM

Lamia pointed to World at War's two-year development cycle as a key factor; a full 12 months more than the team had to complete Call of Duty 3, which, while by no means a commercial or critical failure, stands as a definitive low point for the franchise. "When you got one year, you do what you know, and get it done well -- don't mess around. When you got two years, you have a chance to introduce new gameplay, new elements."

Check out our full interview with Treyarch right here.