Sledgehammer Games

Sledgehammer Games is an American video-game development studio founded in 2009 by Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, former executives associated with Visceral Games and the development of the Dead Space series. The studio was established in Foster City, California, with an initial ambition to create large-scale action games and subsequently became one of Activision's principal Call of Duty development teams. The studio's first major Call of Duty assignment came when it partnered with Infinity Ward on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, released in 2011. The collaboration placed Sledgehammer inside one of the industry's most commercially important first-person-shooter franchises and gave it experience in campaign, multiplayer, and cooperative game development at blockbuster scale. After that project, Sledgehammer led development of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, released in 2014. The game introduced a futuristic military setting, exoskeleton-based movement, advanced weapon systems, and a prominent fictionalized corporate antagonist. It was also notable for its use of extensive performance capture and for helping establish Sledgehammer as a lead studio rather than only a support developer. Sledgehammer later led Call of Duty: WWII, released in 2017. The title returned the series to the European theater of the Second World War and emphasized squad relationships, historical military settings, and a more traditional boots-on-the-ground style of play. The studio also contributed to subsequent Call of Duty releases through development support and co-development arrangements. Its work on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and Call of Duty: Vanguard formed part of Activision's increasingly distributed annual-development model, in which several internal studios shared technology, content, production, and live-service responsibilities. Call of Duty: Vanguard, released in 2021, was developed by Sledgehammer as a World War II-themed entry spanning multiple theaters and including campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies-related content produced with partner studios. In 2023, Sledgehammer led development of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, a direct continuation within the rebooted Modern Warfare storyline. The title combined a new campaign with multiplayer content and the open-world Zombies mode, while also incorporating a substantial selection of remastered multiplayer maps from earlier Modern Warfare games. Sledgehammer operates within Activision's global publishing and development structure rather than as an independent publisher. Following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023, the studio became part of Microsoft Gaming through Activision. Its public identity remains closely tied to Call of Duty, although its broader capabilities include cinematic production, online multiplayer systems, level design, character and weapon development, performance capture, and collaboration across large distributed teams. The studio's business significance comes primarily from its role in producing premium annual and live-service content for a globally marketed franchise. It is an active developer, but detailed current staffing, financial performance, and future project information are not consistently disclosed by the studio or its parent companies.

Sledgehammer Games was founded in 2009 in Foster City, California, by Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey. Both founders had previously worked in senior development roles at Visceral Games, where their work was associated with the Dead Space franchise. The new studio was created to pursue ambitious action-game development and quickly entered Activision's internal development network. Its first major public assignment was a partnership with Infinity Ward on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Released in 2011, the game was produced during a period of significant transition for the Call of Duty development organization. Sledgehammer's participation demonstrated that it could contribute to a large, technically demanding annual franchise and helped establish a long-term relationship with Activision. Sledgehammer subsequently became the lead developer of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Released in 2014, the game moved the series into a futuristic setting and introduced exoskeleton-enabled movement, advanced military technology, and a more elaborate performance-capture presentation. The project broadened the studio's identity from support developer to franchise lead and showcased its interest in combining military-shooter conventions with speculative science fiction. The studio's next lead project was Call of Duty: WWII, released in 2017. The game returned to the Second World War after several futuristic and modern settings in the franchise. Its campaign focused on a small group of Allied soldiers, while its multiplayer and cooperative components supported the broader annual Call of Duty ecosystem. Sledgehammer continued to work with other Activision studios as the publisher expanded shared technology, content pipelines, and live-service operations. During the development of later Call of Duty titles, Sledgehammer contributed to the wider franchise alongside other Activision teams. It was involved in development support for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, although lead-development responsibilities for those releases rested with other studios. Sledgehammer then led Call of Duty: Vanguard, released in 2021. Vanguard used a World War II setting and included campaign, competitive multiplayer, and cooperative content developed through collaboration across the Call of Duty studio network. In 2023, Sledgehammer led Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, a reboot-era sequel that continued the Modern Warfare narrative. The release included a new campaign, a large multiplayer offering built partly around remastered maps, and an open-world Zombies mode created with support from other teams. The project illustrated the studio's role in integrating multiple modes and production groups within a tightly coordinated annual release schedule. Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023 changed Sledgehammer's ultimate corporate ownership. The studio remained an Activision development operation but became part of Microsoft Gaming and the Xbox organization. Sledgehammer's public profile continues to center on Call of Duty, and available public information does not establish a separate current franchise portfolio or independently reported financial results.

• 2023

  Modern Warfare III released

  [1]Sledgehammer Games official websitesledgehammergames.com

  Sledgehammer led development of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, including its campaign, multiplayer, and open-world Zombies components.

• 2023

  Became part of Microsoft Gaming

  [1]Sledgehammer Games official websitesledgehammergames.com

  Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard placed Sledgehammer within Microsoft Gaming through Activision.

• 2021

  Vanguard released

  [1]Sledgehammer Games official websitesledgehammergames.com

  Call of Duty: Vanguard launched with a World War II campaign, multiplayer, and cooperative content.

• 2017

  WWII released

  [1]Sledgehammer Games official websitesledgehammergames.com

  Sledgehammer released Call of Duty: WWII, returning the franchise to a historical Second World War setting.

• 2014

  Advanced Warfare released

  [1]Sledgehammer Games official websitesledgehammergames.com

  Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare became Sledgehammer's first lead-developed Call of Duty release.

• 2011

  Modern Warfare 3 collaboration

  [1]Sledgehammer Games official websitesledgehammergames.com

  Sledgehammer partnered with Infinity Ward on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, its first major Call of Duty production.

• 2009

  Studio founded

  [1]Sledgehammer Games official websitesledgehammergames.com

  Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey founded Sledgehammer Games in Foster City, California.

A high-budget AAA development studio specializing in cinematic military first-person shooters, online multiplayer, and large-scale franchise production.

• First-person shooter · 2011

  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

  A 2011 Call of Duty entry developed through a partnership between Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward. It continued the original Modern Warfare storyline and combined a cinematic single-player campaign with competitive multiplayer and cooperative Spec Ops content.

• First-person shooter · 2014

  Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

  Sledgehammer's first lead-developed Call of Duty title. Set in a technologically advanced future, it introduced exoskeleton mobility, futuristic weapons, and a story centered on the growing power of a private military corporation.

• First-person shooter · 2017

  Call of Duty: WWII

  A historical military shooter focused on the European theater of the Second World War. The game included a narrative campaign, competitive multiplayer, and a cooperative Nazi Zombies mode, and marked a return to grounded movement and period weaponry for the franchise.

• First-person shooter · 2021

  Call of Duty: Vanguard

  A World War II-themed Call of Duty release led by Sledgehammer. It presented interconnected campaign stories across several theaters, alongside multiplayer and cooperative content developed within Activision's broader studio network.

• First-person shooter · 2023

  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III

  A 2023 sequel in the rebooted Modern Warfare continuity. Sledgehammer led development of the campaign and multiplayer package, which included remastered maps from earlier Modern Warfare games, while the open-world Zombies experience expanded the franchise's cooperative format.

1. 1Sledgehammer Games official websitesledgehammergames.com