With rumors pointing to a Call of Duty subscription service under consideration at Activision Blizzard, developer Infinity Ward hopes to remove itself from the idea as much as possible. The company's community manager, Robert Bowling, noted on the developer's forum, "This rumor has absolutely nothing to do with Infinity Ward or our games, including Modern Warfare 2. We would never introduce such a system for Modern Warfare 2 so don't worry. Multiplayer will always be equal and free for everyone as always."

The survey, allegedly sent out by Activision, asked "how likely" players would be to purchase or subscribe to a system that provides "new in-game content like map packs and betas," and "team-management services." It appears Infinity Ward's statement doesn't overrule the rumors completely -- Bowling appears to be addressing pay-to-play multiplayer more than anything -- but it's good to see such rapid response to a concerned community.

So, what's the other Call of Duty developer, Treyarch, up to?

Way back in March of ought eight, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick wondered aloud during a conference, "[What] would be the natural evolution of a property like Call of Duty into a massively multiplayer environment -- how do you monetize that?" And it seems as though the company is working on that very question, if a survey spotted by Destructoid holds any truth to it.

Referring to a handful of features (such as "new in-game content like map packs and betas," and "team-management services," among others), the survey asks participants "How likely are you to purchase or subscribe to this online service when the next Call of Duty game comes out?" The survey goes into much gorier detail but, from what we can tell, it smells like Activision is testing the waters for that MMO-esque monetization that Kotick spoke of so long ago.

The announcement comes from a Microsoft sponsored Massive Inc. upfront where publishers showcase and talk about upcoming products to lineup advertisers prior to release. Activision didn't have any specifics to announce regarding the title, other than the fact that we'll be receiving a second helping of Modern Warfare late next year.

Anyone beyond excited for more CoD, especially a sequel to CoD4 which is arguably the best of the franchise?

[Via Big Download, Thanks Mads]

At a summit held by Massive for in-game advertising, Activision confirmed that Bizarre Creations is working on a new third-person Bond title for release in 2009. According to the Twitter feed of Newsweek's N'Gai Croal (trust us, he's legit), the game is being touted as "racing and driving focused." The executive also mentioned Bizarre's new racing IP, describing it as "Mario Kart meets Forza." It's not much (in fact, it's somewhat paradoxical), but it does hint at a departure from Project Gotham Racing's realism -- relative to Mario Kart!

The executive also reportedly said the next Call of Duty Modern Warfare is due out Fall 2009. We're uncertain if that's confirmation of the next COD's setting or just a glib way of saying "Infinity Ward's COD series." We're reaching out to Activision for clarification on all these statements.

360Sync has revealed the entire list of achievements for Call of Duty: World at War, the next installment in the long standing war series. The achievements are pretty standard, offering points for completing various levels and tasks within those levels during the campaign. Some are reserved for solo play only, while others can be achieved in co-op as well. Our favorite is probably 'No Safe Place' which awards 15 gamerscore for burning an enemy out of a tree with a flamethrower.

Also worth noting is that there aren't any achievements for online versus multiplayer. It appears that restricting achievements to the main campaign has become the mantra for Call of Duty games, as Call of Duty 4 had no online achievements either. Head over to 360Sync to check out the full list.

You might need to fill that flask, er, "canteen" with more than just Kool-Aid if you plan to make it through the first few weeks of Call of Duty 5 Call of Duty: World At War boot camp. You see, you bought the "Limited Collector's Edition," which includes, in addition to a storage tin (guaranteed to fit other Treyarch games!) and the aforementioned sipping container, the infamous "Day One Advantage." As if spotting the guy with the ridiculously over-powered machine gun won't be easy enough, you'll also be pinned with a "uniquely colored clan tag" identifying your "VIP-status" in online multiplayer. In other words: Everybody kill that guy! Yeah, you.

When Infinity Ward recently re-negotiated its contract with Activision, hints of a new IP were floated about. Now comes word from Xbox World 360 magazine (via CVG) that the Call of Duty 1, 2 and 4 developer is "definitely" working on a new sci-fi shooter.

Although it's hard to imagine the COD series going into space or through multi-dimensional rifts, there is precedence for a sci-fi COD6 rumor. Call Of Duty sequel or original IP, either way, is this the new project they're "excited to be working on?" Until official confirmation (next week, perhaps?), we're definitely filing this under rumor.

Wondering what happened to the number "5" trailing Call of Duty and preceding World at War? Senior producer Noah Heller offered some insight into its absence, saying, "We're getting rid of the number in Call of Duty for a very specific reason: It's because we want you to know that when you're playing Call of Duty: World at War you're playing the best shooter, the best WW2 game ever. Likewise when you're playing Modern Warfare, likewise when you play any game that will be called Call of Duty."

Now, a handful of us have tried to parse that quote and, no matter which angle we take, it proves elusive. Is he saying that Modern Warfare didn't have a number in the title (because the game's box clearly says otherwise)? Is he saying that future Call of Duty installments, including whatever Infinity Ward is presumably working on, will also be sans number? Or perhaps, as rumored, Infinity Ward has renegotiated their relationship with the flagship title and any numbered sequels (all future sequels?) will be saved for them to develop?

We've sent our own inquiry into Activision for some clarification. We'll let you know what it throws back.

This morning Activision announced a number of details regarding the latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise. Call of Duty: World at War will allow players to live vicariously as both the side of the US against the Japanese and the Russians against the Germans. The most anticipated feature, however, is the four-player co-op mode. On the PS3 (and Xbox 360) version, players can choose between a multiplayer four-player split-screen offline co-op mode or a four-player online co-op mode. Finally, there is experience points to be earned in both online modes, with a difficulty level that "will scale dynamically to provide a deeper level of challenge," so how challenging it will be depends on the experience level of the player and the player's comrades.

[Via Joystiq]

[Update: There is a four-player offline co-op mode and the wording has been changed to clarify this.]

You've already seen Call of Duty: World at War's trailer and read about the game's four-player online co-op, but maybe you just want to see what it looks like when not moving and being, y'know ... interactive. We totally understand and we've painstakingly assembled a gallery just for your kind. Click through and use your powers of imagination to render these seven stills into a glorious animated tableau.

There are times when going at it alone just isn't enough, and you want a buddy by your side to help make it through to the day, not to mention help soak up enemy bullets. For this, Activision has revealed how co-op multiplayer will be handled in Call of Duty: World at War, in which players will lace up in the military boots of either U.S. Marines or Russian soldiers in both the South Pacific and European theaters of war.

Specifically, the Treyarch-developed shooter will include four-player online co-op for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, while the console versions will also allow soldiers to pair up offline for local split-screen gameplay, with "a unique co-op mode for two players" reserved for soldiers waggling on the Wii. However, the game's online focus won't end with simply gunning down enemy soldiers and offering moral support to buddies trying to make it through the game's "darker themes." Activision notes that Call of Duty: World at War will shell out persistent experience points to players participating in both competitive and cooperative online battles, as well as a difficulty curve that will scale depending on "a player's experience rank and rank of the player's friends."

This is it: the moment of truth, folks. With this – the debut trailer for (the notably unnumbered) Call of Duty: World at War – Activision is essentially asking for feedback from every gamer on the planet. Can Call of Duty return to World War 2? Can alternating series developer (read: not Infinity Ward) Treyarch deliver a solid CoD title?

You can keep an eye out for our impressions (and our attempt to answer these same questions) early next week; however, in the interim, hit up this first piece of the puzzle after the break. Alternatively, for the HD-minded amongst you, check out GameTrailers or Xbox Live. Regardless of how you consume said trailer, we still want to know what you think. Sound off.

Although we still don't know definitively who's developing Call of Duty 5 (rumors suggest Treyarch), Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith said the next game will be changing settings again. In a conference call yesterday (35:00 mark), he said, "We'll bring the intensity of the recent Call of Duty: Modern Warfare title to a new military theater."

Also confirmed were plans to launch "on all four platforms we've participated on in fiscal 2008" -- that's Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows and DS -- as well as PS2 and Wii. We're hoping the "new military setting" isn't related to World War II as the recent Treyarch job listing suggested.

Here at Joystiq, we've always felt that the intense, highly realistic military action of the Call of Duty games would be better captured by a card game. Thankfully, someone at Upper Deck had the same idea, because the company announced the Call of Duty Real-time Card Game at this weekend's New York Comic Con.

MTV's Stephen Totilo got an early demo of the game, which comes off as a mix between the Pokémon TCG and the traditional card game Spit. Players lay down soldiers, protective cover and weapon cards as fast as possible, until someone plays a "freeze" card and all the damage and effects get tallied up. The game will be based on the non-modern Call of Duty games (sorry, COD4 fans) and could possibly include special cards that unlock in-game content for Call of Duty 5 (much like similar cards in the World of Warcraft card game) -- though this feature isn't yet confirmed. Look for it in stores this Fall.

Read - MTV playtest impressions
Visit - Official Upper Deck game site