Call of Duty developer explains why Advanced Warfare 2 was scrapped
Sledgehammer Games explains why Advances Warfare 2 was scrapped in favour of a return to the trenches for 2017's Call of Duty: WWII.
11th Apr 2023 12:35
Sledgehammer Games
Call of Duty developer explains why Advanced Warfare 2 was scrapped
Sledgehammer Games explains why Advances Warfare 2 was scrapped in favour of a return to the trenches for 2017's Call of Duty: WWII.
11th Apr 2023 12:35
Sledgehammer Games
Having seen Sledgehammer Games smack down the jet pack era in Call of Duty with the questionable World War II title (ending the futuristic annual releases), it's now emerged that the developers didn't actually want to create a rustic boots-on-the-ground title at all.
Spanning from Black Ops 3 to Infinite Warfare, Call of Duty went very vertical, thanks to the addition of Exo Suits and other high-flying abilities, with Advanced Warfare arguably being the best of the bunch.
But amid rumours of a return to the skies and the future, a Sledgehammer Games developer has revealed that Advanced Warfare 2 was in the works at some point, before it was scrapped for WW2.
Sledgehammer Games nearly made an 'awesome' Advanced Warfare sequel
According to Bret Robbins, a former Sledgehammer Games dev and now current Immortals of Aveum Creative Director, the Call of Duty studio originally pitched Advanced Warfare 2 for the 2017 annual release.
"We had some early prototypes and might have even done a demo level of it, and then WW2 came back and felt like a better opportunity," he said, in an interview with MinnMax.
Discussing how things moved into WWII, Robbins added, "I am glad we switched gears, but Advanced Warfare 2 would have been awesome." Looking at how divisive AW was, we can only imagine a sequel would've learned from these mistakes and been even better.
Call of Duty devs explain why Advanced Warfare 2 was scrapped for WW2
Despite the resounding success of Advanced Warfare - even with complaints of the jet pack era - Sledgehammer ultimately ended the futuristic releases for Call of Duty for one reason: the storylines.
"Once it was brought to the team, as doing one or the other, we found a lot of people on the team were interested in returning [to WWII]. It felt like a bit more of a story and a bit more exciting and different," Robins said.
It's not the Sutdio's scrapped title, as a sequel for Vanguard was also closed down after it was found that Modern Warfare 2 wouldn't be a two-year title after all.
Sledgehammer was also working on a "brutal war experience" Call of Duty too before Advanced Warfare, which might sound a little bit more appropriate to the current genre.
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
