Bilawal Bashir 
Sledgehammer Games assisted with the latest blockbuster shooter but Microsoft might be diverting some of its talent off Call of Duty, with hints suggesting that it might be to work on a new Halo.
Sledgehammer Games, founded in 2015, is primarily a Call of Duty developer. The studio shipped multiple Call of Duty games as the main development team and has assisted on other Call of Duty projects. Most recently, the studio shipped last year’s Modern Warfare 3, a game that received a lukewarm reception from fans.
There are signs that the studio is making a major pivot, though. Activision’s new parent company, Microsoft, is seemingly keen on repurposing Sledgehammer Games, potentially to have it work on other Xbox Games brands.
What is Sledgehammer Games working on?
A job listing confirms that Sledgehammer Games is adding staff to work on an unspecified game developed in Unreal Engine 5. This is according to a now-deleted LinkedIn post from Sledgehammer Games’ chief operating officer, Andrew Wilson.
To be specific, the listing stated that Sledgehammer Games was seeking “friendly, hands-on collaborators with deep knowledge of Unreal 5 who thrive in an indy [sic] style development environment.”
While the post didn’t directly mention the project, gamers quickly started speculating.
The timing of the job listing is interesting, as Xbox recently did a grand reveal regarding the Halo series. The rebranded 343 Industries switched to Unreal Engine 5, sparking the discussion. The newly announced Halo Studios is working on the next Halo game and has shifted to Unreal Engine 5.
Many seasoned studios are leaving their proprietary engines behind and moving to the more universal Unreal Engine. CD Projekt Red recently announced it’ll also work on Unreal Engine 5. Sega is reportedly trying something similar with Sonic the Hedgehog games.
Microsoft’s control over both Sledgehammer and the Halo series, with both announcing a move to Unreal Engine 5, raises an eyebrow. Regardless of Sledgehammer’s relationship to Halo, this is indicative of the studio no longer being just a Call of Duty studio.
All recent Call of Duty games have been made in the IW Engine, so it’s unlikely that Sledgehammer Games‘ new project will be related to Call of Duty.
There’s no shortage of games under the Xbox umbrella developed in Unreal Engine 5. It’s possible that Sledgehammer Games could work as a support studio for other titles, or could be leading development on something entirely original. In either case, Sledgehammer Games wants to branch out from Call of Duty.
