Sledgehammer making this year's Call of Duty

Sledgehammer Games is working on this year's Call of Duty title, according to Activision.

Sledgehammer has previously been involved in Modern Warfare 3 in a co-development role alongside Infinity Ward, but this will be the first game created solo.

This also means that future Call of Duty titles will be given a three-year development cycle, with Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward and Treyarch taking it in turns to release a game every year.

Previously Call of Duty games only had a two-year development cycle.

"The next Call of Duty represents a new era for this amazing franchise, and we look forward to sharing what we have been working on," said Sledgehammer co-founders Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey in an open letter.

They also state that "having the honour of developing the new, next generation of Call of Duty is a developer's dream come true".

"All of us here at Sledgehammer Games have a shared vision to create the best work of our lives."

It's unclear whether Sledgehammer's Call of Duty game will be a new installment in the Modern Warfare series or a completely new sub-franchise.