Activision: Modern Warfare has taken on a 'life of its own'

Aside from, uh, gameplay footage, the one thing that was deemed conspicuously absent from Modern Warfare 2's explosive teaser trailer was the Call of Duty branding. Whether developer Infinity Ward is still debating the nested sequel's final title or simply hopes to distinguish its next FPS from the other 37 Call of Duty games on shelves is up for speculation, but it's hard to argue the independent prestige that lies behind Call of Duty 4's "Modern Warfare."

An Activision spokesperson seems to agree, telling Joystiq, "At this time, all we are free to say is that Modern Warfare has taken on such a life of its own, it has become our focus now." Since Modern Warfare 2 is almost certain to spawn another iteration after it releases this November, it may be best to ditch the Call of Duty brand before we end up with something like Call of Duty 17: Modern Warfare 6: Moderner Warfare 3: Lasers are Bad News: Aerosmith.

Update: Activision has just officially announced the November 10th arrival of "Modern Warfare 2" -- sans "Call of Duty."