Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Is “Not the Same Old Call of Duty”

This year's Call of Duty game, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, is "not the same old Call of Duty," according to developer Sledgehammer Games. Speaking with VentureBeat, studio co-founder Michael Condrey laid out the reasons why this year's game will be one to remember.

"With three years and a new engine and a new generation of hardware and a new brand, you'll see this is not the same old Call of Duty," Condrey said. "We had the people, the resources, and the time."

Condrey's boasting about the game didn't end there, however. "This has the scale and the scope of the equivalent of four Hollywood movies in it," he said. "It has hundreds of hours of multiplayer gameplay. It has full cooperative mode. It takes an army of industry vets to create this kind of content."

Activision announced in May a new three-year, three-studio production schedule for the Call of Duty brand. The extra year of development will make it so gamers are blown away by every new entry, according to Activision.

"This game had to be done from scratch. This is really a brand new franchise within Call of Duty. It's a new intellectual property" -- Sledgehammer co-founder Glen Schofield

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is such a new Call of Duty experience, Sledgehammer Games says, that it should in fact be thought of as a new intellectual property.

"We really upgraded the characters with a new facial system. We are lighting the game in a new way. All of it is new," Sledgehammer Games co-founder Glen Schofield said. "It's next-generation, and it's 40 years in the future. There is really nothing you can borrow. This game had to be done from scratch. This is really a brand new franchise within Call of Duty. It's a new intellectual property."

Prior to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's official announcement, Activision--which owns Sledgehammer Games--said that the game was "perhaps the best Call of Duty game ever created." That quote came from Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare changes up the traditional Call of Duty format by introducing exoskeleton suits, which give players a range of super-abilities like increased dexterity and the ability to climb up walls using magnetic gloves. There is even a new Just Cause-style grappling hook system in Advanced Warfare, which we got a quick look at in today's new trailer.

In other Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare news, Activision today announced the game's three collector's editions, which range in price from $80-$120.

Do you think Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare can live up to the hype? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments!

Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @EddieMakuch
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