SHG June & July Charity: CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse)

We’re pleased to announcing our partnership with (CORA Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse) for the months of June and July.

SHG June & July Charity: CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse)

We’re pleased to announcing our partnership with (CORA Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse) for the months of June and July.

SLEDGEHAMMER GAMES STUDIO EXPANSION HAS BEGUN!

We're expanding our studio. Come check out our plans for 2016! 

culture

IN MEMORY OF JONATHAN SIMAS – DESIGNER, SLEDGEHAMMER GAMES

In memory of Jon.

callofduty

SLEDGEHAMMER GAMES STUDIO, AND OUR COMMITMENT TO BEING AN INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT STUDIO

At Sledgehammer Games, we’re committed to making great games, and a world-class working environment and studio culture.

SHG March Charity: Hearts for Binghams

We’re proud to announce that our Monthly Studio Charity for March is Hearts for Binghams – a fundraiser supporting the Bingham Family and their ongoing medical and travel needs. As a Bay Area development studio, we’re committed to helping out those in need and the Bingham Family is in dire need of our support. In short, three out of five of their children have been affected by rare heart disorders requiring huge medical expenses, travel, and heart transplants. To support their fundraising effort...

GREETINGS FROM YOUR FRIENDLY BAY AREA SHG BILLBOARD

As one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s largest single-title game development studios, we’re continuing to expand in a big way. How big, you ask? Big enough to take out this kick ass billboard on the 101! It’s just one of the many things we have cooked up to attract top talent to join our record-breaking Call of Duty team. If you happen to discover its secret location, snap a quick photo and tag it on your favorite social platform with #beSHG. We’d love to see your photos and will give our favori...

SHG February Charity: Veterans Recovery Center, Palo Alto

We’re extremely excited to announce that our Monthly Studio Charity for February is the Palo Alto Veterans Recovery Center, located down the road in San Jose. As a Bay Area development studio, we’re committed to improving the community around us and the VRC helps Veterans with serious mental illness reclaim their lives, learn life skills, and much more. With few exceptions, they offer services for Vets free of charge and we’re raising money at the studio all month to support their efforts. We’re...

SLEDGEHAMMER GAMES’ HOLIDAY CARD 2015 – DESIGNED BY SHG AND ALEX VARANESE

The holidays are a special time of year for the developers at SHG to appreciate and say thanks for all we have in our lives. From our charity initiatives to special events at the studio – we love getting in the spirit of the season. This year we partnered with a local Bay Area artist to design our limited edition SHG Holiday Card. We're excited to share the work of Alex Varanese, a SF designer, and give you an inside look at our process.Above: Work in Progress Sketch, Wireframes.We wanted to see...

Our Note of Thanks to the Call of Duty eSports Community

On behalf of Sledgehammer Games, thanks so much for the incredible year of competitive Call of Duty. Almost 4 years ago, we set out to create a great addition to the eSports environment with Advanced Warfare. It’s been nothing short of amazing seeing Pro teams master the new movements and mechanics we’ve added to Call of Duty, and see how players have really thrived with the increased level of competition. Through your support for eSports and competitive gaming, we’ve made Advanced Warfare a gre...

COMING SOON TO CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE – 1911 & MP40

We’ve brought a number of new weapons to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare in the last few months. From the M1 Irons, to the futuristic CEL-3 shotgun, to classics like the AK47 and M16. This time, we decided to go back to our Call of Duty roots and introduce a new secondary pistol as well as a returning and fan-favorite SMG. The 1911 and the MP40 make a triumphant return to the Call of Duty series on Xbox One on September 29th – coming soon to PS4 and PC.1911Video URLThe classic 1911 pistol returns...

GRAND MASTER PRESTIGE APPRECIATION DAY IS COMING!

Rewarding players for their accomplishments is what Call of Duty has been about since Day One, and we couldn’t be prouder of our Grand Master Prestige community in Advanced Warfare. These players exemplify the determination and hard work that the developers at our studio live by, and we’re rolling out an extremely special program to reward them – introducing Grand Master Prestige Appreciation Day! Exactly thirty days from now on Sunday, October 18th at 9AM our team will take a snapshot of our re...

NEW WEAPONS INCOMING - AK47, M16, CEL-3 CAUTERIZER AND ROYALTY VARIANTS V3 COMING TO CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE

Hot off the heels of our DLC4 Reckoning release earlier this month, we’re incredibly excited to be releasing a new set of weapons for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare next week. On August 25th, we’ll be releasing the final set of Royalty Variants, including the MP11, SN6, AE4, and others. This date also marks the return of two fan-favorite weapons, the AK47 and the M16 Assault Rifles. We’re also bringing over the CEL-3 shotgun from Exo-Zombies over to multiplayer. These weapons will be available f...

INTRODUCING THE OPTIC GOLD CHARACTER GEAR SET

Video URLIntroducing the OpTic Gold Character Gear set for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. From everyone at Sledgehammer Games, congratulations again to OpTic Gaming for taking home the Gold Medal last month in Austin. To celebrate OpTic’s victory, we’re rolling out an exclusive set of OpTic Gold Elite Character Gear, including a Helmet, Loadout and Exoskeleton available only in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. This special character gear set was inspired by the same 2015 Green Wall Jerseys the t...

THREE NEW WEAPONS COMING TO CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE ON 7/21!

Video URLStarting next week on Tuesday, July 21st, we're excited to be introducing three new weapons and their unique variants for players to enjoy in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's multiplayer. These weapons will be available for all players on Xbox One first, coming soon to PlayStation 4 and PC.BlunderbussThe Blunderbuss is a short range shotgun that packs a punch. Delivering a great amount of damage up close in a wide spread, it has the drawback of a slow reload speed between the single sho...

A Fireside Chat with Michael Condrey – Advanced Warfare's New Weapons, XP Bonus for Gear Sets, The Console Transition, and You

It’s hard to believe that over 7 months have passed since the release of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. A lot of exciting things have been happening, and our fireside chats are great opportunities to connect with fans. We have a lot more in store for you in the coming weeks and months ahead, and I’d like to take today to discuss some of the newest additions to our game, including XP Bonus for Gear Sets and Royalty Weapon Variants.Beginning June 23rd, players with complete matching gear sets wil...

XP BONUS GEAR SETS AND ROYALTY WEAPON VARIANTS V2 COMING TO CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE

Video URLWhat’s up, AW Community! As you know, we’re continuing to bring new features and content to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and starting on June 23rd, players on all platforms will be able to earn an #XPBonus when wearing full Character Gear Sets in every match they play. We’re also releasing the second set of #AWRoyalty Weapon Variants on Xbox One first, adding to the more than 350+ weapons that are available in Supply Drops!XP Bonus For Gear SetsSeeing players display their creativity...

Introducing the Denial Champs Character Gear Set

Video URLCongratulations again to Denial eSports, the 2015 Call of Duty World Champions! Shortly after the Championships back in March, we began a project with their team, and we’re extremely excited to share it with you today. But first, let’s quickly recap their road to victory on Advanced Warfare’s biggest stage.COD Champs Day 1 started with 32 of the best Call of Duty teams in the world, and ended with 16 teams that proved themselves during pool play. The second day started off strong with U...

COMING SOON TO CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE – LEGENDARY AND RETIRED GEAR

The team is busy working on thrilling new features for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and on June 9th, shortly after the release of our third DLC pack Supremacy, we’re bringing the next update to our Supply Drop system. Introducing two brand new loot rarities – Legendary and Retired!Legendary Supply Drop LootWhat’s more elite than elite? LEGENDARY! We’re extremely excited to announce that the new Legendary rarity class is coming to Xbox on June 9th (coming soon thereafter to PlayStation and PC)....

NEW SAC3 VARIANTS AND ROYALTY WEAPON VARIANTS COMING TO CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE

Click to expand.The community buzz from the release of the #M1IRONS last week has been incredible. It’s a super fun new primary that is proving to be a very competitive option for players. We've been in active exploration into bringing exciting new weapon options to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and we have a lot more to come ahead. First up, we’re excited to bring new variants of the SAC3, an akimbo SMG that has been available to all players in Multiplayer since launch. The SAC3’s signature du...

SHG CHARITY OF THE MONTH: SURFRIDER FOUNDATION OF SAN FRANCISCO

As a studio, one of the things close to our heart is giving back to the community. We’ve participated with a lot of different charities and organizations over the last few years, and to go along with Earth Day, we participated with our local Surfrider Foundation for a Beach Clean-up day. A group of Hammers from our Studio headed out to Ocean Bean in San Francisco on Sunday morning to help keep the beach and waters clean so they may be enjoyed for many years to come. One of the initiatives of our...

INTRODUCING THE M1 IRONS, AN ALL-NEW REVOLVER COMING TO CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE

The M1 Irons is now available for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare on all platforms. This new pistol is our gift as a thank you for the continued support of Advanced Warfare throughout this year’s season of content. It will be available in your create-a-class and ready to hit the firing range starting immediately. The M1 Irons revolver not only packs a punch, but has excellent mobility and range. As with all weapons in Advanced Warfare, the M1 Irons has a full suite of loot variants available thro...

ADVANCED WARFARE SUPPLY DROP SPOTLIGHT – ATLAS INTEL CHARACTER GEAR SET

As a special thanks to our fans and to celebrate Earth Day, we are giving everyone that plays Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare today (from Wednesday, 4/22 at 9AM PDT to Thursday, 4/23 at 9AM PDT) the ATLAS Intel EXO as an exclusive reward just for playing. Be sure to play during this time or you’ll miss out on your only chance to get this exclusive loot piece. The new set, minus the exclusive EXO, is now a permanent part of the 1000+ pieces of loot available via supply drops. Will you be the first...

Sledgehammer Games at Quo Vadis and International Games Week Berlin 2015

We’re off to Berlin, Germany next week for Quo Vadis and International Games Week Berlin, April 20th – April 24th! Our studio heads, Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, have been asked to participate in a number of events surrounding the conferences, including fireside chats with indie developers, talks with students, and we’re presenting an award at the German Games Awards show. In addition to the events, we’re happy to announce that Glen is giving a talk during the show entitled, “Visual Story...

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Infographic

The 2015 Call of Duty Championships with Sledgehammer Games

What a weekend! The 2015 Call of Duty Championships was a great experience for the dev team that travelled down to LA to support the show. We were treated to some amazing matches from 32 teams around the world. In the end, it was Denial and Team Revenge who were poised to face off in the Grand Finals. Team Revenge had an incredible run, proving that any team can make it when given a chance. Ultimately, Denial took the title of World Champions in matches that went up to Game 5.On Day 1, Pool Play...

THE ATLAS ENGINEER CHARACTER GEAR SET AND DOUBLE XP ARE NOW LIVE IN ADVANCED WARFARE

We’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with all-new #AWGearDrops and #DoubleXP. Starting right now, we’re turning on Double XP for the day and we’re giving everyone that plays Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare throughout the remainder of this week (from Tuesday, 3/17 at 9AM PDT to Friday, 3/20 at 9AM PDT) the ATLAS Engineer EXO as an exclusive reward just for playing. After Friday, 3/20 at 9AM (PST) the only way to get the ATLAS Engineer EXO will be through Advanced Supply Drops, so be sure to grab it...

INTRODUCING GRAND MASTER PRESTIGE TO CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE

With the all-new Master Prestige ranks, inventive ways to earn 15 Elite Loot Weapons, and a brand new Grand Master Prestige Gear Set, we’re adding new ways to level up and earn rewards in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The all-new Master Prestige ranks and Grand Master Prestige character gear set give Max Prestige players the chance to continue to rank up and earn XP. When you enter Master Prestige your player XP is reset, challenge status remains the same, and challenges are not reset. Each ne...

A LETTER TO ALL #ADVANCEDWARFARE PC PLAYERS

Please pardon today's delay, and accept this KVA Paramilitary Exo as a small token of our appreciation. The KVA Paramilitary Exo’s unique look matches the exclusive AE-4 Widowmaker directed energy Assault Rifle. This Rare Enlisted Loot will be contained in the next Supply Drop you open and Double XP has been activated through the PC launch of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare HAVOC DLC on March 3rd.Sincerely,The Sledgehammer Games Dev Team

ADVANCED WARFARE SUPPLY DROP - MARINE GRENADIER, GUN GAME & A NEW PLAYLIST

Hey Hammer Fans, we’re another month into 2015 and we’re continuing to roll out new features for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare like this month’s surprise gear drop — the Marine Grenadier. As with previous gear drops (like the KVA Paramilitary set), we’re giving everyone who plays an online multiplayer match of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare this weekend (between Friday, 2/13 at 9AM PST to Monday 2/16 at 9AM PST) the Marine Grenadier Exo as an exclusive reward.Don’t miss out on playing this week...

Advanced Warfare DoubleXP Weekend, And Two New Playlists

It’s been an amazing few months since Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare launched, and we’re committed to continuing to deliver the best experience for our fans through this upcoming season of content. To celebrate the upcoming Havoc DLC, coming to Xbox on Tuesday, January 27th, we’re having a special DoubleXP weekend – starting Friday, 1/23 at 9AM PST and ending Monday, 1/26 at 9AM PST. This is a great chance to go online with some buddies and gain a Prestige level or two! In addition to DoubleXP w...

A Fireside Chat with Michael Condrey – Matchmaking, Reverse Boosting, Trick Shotting and the like

I wanted to start this off by thanking you all for being passionate and enthusiastic fans of Call of Duty. We, as developers, owe all of Advanced Warfare’s success to you. We are absolutely committed to making the game better every day for you. When we set out to make Advanced Warfare, well over three years ago, we dedicated ourselves to delivering something special, and the team is as driven now, as it was then, to achieving that goal. We have pushed to improve and add to the game in pursuit of...

CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE’S OPENING SEASON OF RANKED PLAY STARTS JANUARY 9TH

We’re excited to announce that the Opening Season for Ranked Play in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare starts January 9th, 2015. In Ranked Play, players will be matched with similar skilled opponents and compete in 4 vs. 4 matches in game modes like Search & Destroy, Capture the Flag, Uplink, and Hardpoint with eSports settings enabled. Winning a match earns points towards being promoted into the next division. Losing a match, or forfeiting by leaving the game will result in a penalty by loss of po...

ONE SHOT – A BRAND NEW GAME MODE FEATURING THE MORS RAILGUN SNIPER

Sledgehammer Games has always had a singular goal: Achieve Excellence. Since launch, our team has been experimenting with fun new ways to play Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and we’re proud to announce our new team based game mode called “One Shot” – available right now. We’re also turning on Double XP this weekend (Friday, 12/26 9AM PST through Monday, 12/29 9AM PST) while playing in this new game mode. One Shot is a brand new snipers-only game mode with decreased health and highly specific cl...

Advanced Warfare Supply Drop Spotlight – KVA Paramilitary Character Gear Set

Happy Holidays, Hammer Fans! It has been a truly amazing 2014, and we didn’t want the year to end without giving our community a special holiday surprise – The KVA Paramilitary Character Gear Set! We’re giving everyone that plays Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare this week (from Monday, 12/22 at 9AM PDT to Friday, 12/26 at 9AM PDT) the KVA Paramilitary Helmet as an exclusive reward. Be sure to play, or you’ll miss out on your chance to get the helmet. The rest of the items in the KVA Paramilitary s...

CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE GAME UPDATE – INTRODUCING SUPPLY DROP DAILY CHALLENGES

In Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Supply Drops come packed with hundreds of weapon variants and unique character gear – allowing for Helmets and Armor, to Loadouts and Exoskeletons. In today’s Game Update for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, we’re introducing an all-new way for players to earn extra XP and Supply Drops, or exclusive pieces of loot. Get ready for our new Supply Drop Daily Challenges! Each day, you’ll receive a randomized message containing a challenge that, when completed, will ...

ADVANCED WARFARE COMMUNITY UPDATE [12/4]

It’s been exactly one month since we’ve launched Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and it has been an amazing time celebrating with fans. It’s been so much fun playing the game in the wild and watching the community surprise us with new ways to play as the Advanced Soldier. We also used this time as an opportunity to focus on the little things that would make a big difference to our community. Since day one, we’ve had consistent online uptime stability and global dedicated server coverage, and we’v...

Advanced Warfare Supply Drop Spotlight – Nigerian Command Character Gear Set

As a special thanks to our fans, we are giving everyone that plays Advanced Warfare throughout the remainder of this week and weekend (from Wednesday, 11/26 at 12PM PDT to Monday, 12/1 at 9AM PDT) the Nigerian Command loadout as an exclusive reward just for playing. Be sure to play during this time or you’ll miss out on your only chance to get this exclusive loot piece. The new set, minus the exclusive loadout, is part of the 1000+ pieces of loot available via supply drops. Will you be the first...

A New Cooperative Survival Experience is Coming to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - Exo Zombies

On behalf of the entire team, thanks so much for playing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Some of you may have already noticed something curious if you made it to the end of Riot playing in Exo Survival mode. For those of you that are still working on your first prestige in multiplayer, or are still knee-deep in the story mode and haven’t checked out co-op yet, we have included that little Easter Egg below. Have a look--As things were wrapping up around launch, we started playing around with the ...

Advanced Warfare Community Update [11/19]

We’re taking your feedback seriously and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is getting better because of it. The changes below are currently going live on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Thanks for being vocal about exploits and cheaters, and making this a better experience for everyone playing. Please be sure to let us know if you have any issues with today's improvements. ADVANCED WARFARE - MULTIPLAYER IMPROVEMENTS: Atlas Gorge - Momentum - Adjusted spawn locations.Biolab - Crane Wash - The Aerial Ass...

EXCITEMENT FROM CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE LAUNCH WEEK AND UPDATES COMING SOON

What an incredible first week for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare! It’s been three years in the making, and we’re so excited that our fans have finally had the chance to play as an advanced soldier. There's no greater feeling than being able to celebrate and play online with the community after putting this much care into a game. As the saying goes "The journey is the reward"; thank you so much for being with us on the journey.Our team has been working hard on improvements to the game. We’ve also...

JOIN US ON #DAYZERO FOR A SPECIAL LIVESTREAM FROM OUR STUDIO!

With our Day Zero Live Stream , we’ll be having some of our lead developers on hand to take a deep dive into our multiplayer, explain our philosophy behind map design, talk about our cutting edge audio system, and more. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask your questions to our developers and even have a chance to win a Digital Pro Edition for Xbox One! Be sure to tune in starting at 10AM PDT at http://www.callofduty.com/dayzero-live.Follow us for live updates all throughout the stream on our...

A WORD OF THANKS FROM GLEN SCHOFIELD AND MICHAEL CONDREY

JOIN SLEDGEHAMMER AS WE PLAY GAMES FOR EXTRA LIFE

Giving back to the community has always been one of the core studio values at our studio. Each month, we highlight a particular charity as a studio, but when October rolls around, our focus has always been on Extra Life. We are proud to be a participant again this year raising money once again for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. All of the funds raised through our studio page will benefit the children at our local CMNH, the Oaklands Children’s Hospital & Research Center.This will be our fo...

A VERY SPECIAL GUEST FOR OUR CO-OP REVEAL AND “POWER CHANGES EVERYTHING” TRAILER

“It all started when I lost a bet on Twitter.” These were words Michael Condrey, our Studio Head and Co-Founder of Sledgehammer Games used to kick off our Studio Meeting on Wednesday morning. We gathered together as a team to watch the premiere of the new “Power Changes Everything” trailer and were informed of a very special VIP guest in our studio. A couple of weeks ago, Michael accepted a bet where a Call of Duty influencer had posted this on Twitter.Michael tends to be a betting man, and repl...

The Emblem Editor Returns in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Show off your custom emblem on your exo in Advanced Warfare!Confirmed today, via Michael Condrey's Twitter account, we officially announced the return of an Emblem Editor to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. One of the biggest goals during the development of this game was to listen to you, the Call of Duty community. With the return of this feature, you'll not only be able to customize your emblem, but that emblem will appear on your operator's exoskeleton in game. We wanted to give the fans the o...

DEVELOPING THE FUTURE WEAPONS FOR CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE [PART 2]

Three years ago, we began the process of developing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare by researching the various types of technologies one may find in the year 2054. The rules were simple: Anything that went into the game had to be plausible and based on science, not science fiction. We designed the EPM3 to align with those basic principles, and this particular weapon and weapons like it gave birth to an all-new category of arms in Advanced Warfare – the Directed Energy Weapons (or DEWs for short)....

ADVANCED WARFARE’S MULTIPLAYER REVEALED AT GAMESCOM 2014

This year at Gamescom, we went all out with our Global Multiplayer Reveal of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. It was an incredible week, and we were extremely fortunate to be able to present all the hard work that our team has been pouring into Advanced Warfare’s multiplayer. We loved hearing your feedback over social media and on the floor, and seeing people play MP for the first time was truly humbling to our development team. If you missed it, be sure to check out our full multiplayer reveal b...

SLEDGEHAMMER GAMES AND CALL OF DUTY AT GAMESCOM 2014

It’s been a long three years since we’ve traveled out to Cologne, Germany. The last time the team travelled out there, we were showcasing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Now we’re in the final stretch for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and plan to have something incredibly special for our Gamescom audience. We’ve been reading your emails, comments, and watching your videos on the content that we’ve released about Advanced Warfare, but there’s still so much more for us to share. Starting on Monda...

5-Year Anniversary “Supply Drops” for our Dev Team #HammerWeek

Five incredible years. It’s been a remarkable journey filled with some amazing accomplishments. From the founding of a new Bay Area Call of Duty development studio, to shipping 2011’s Action Game of the Year, MW3, and the three year focus on delivering a new era of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. We couldn’t be more humbled by the achievements of everyone here in the studio. As we celebrate our 5th anniversary as a studio with #HammerWeek, we wanted to mark the milestone with a special package f...

A New Exclusive Screenshot from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare to Celebrate #HammerWeek

As a way of saying thanks to the fans of our studio, we’re releasing a brand new screenshot from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. This screenshot highlights our game’s Exoskeleton, the game changing mechanic that allows the advanced solider to move faster, jumper higher, and fight harder. The exoskeleton is a core mechanic of our game and really ushers in a new era for the Call of Duty franchise.Right Click and select "Save link as..." This screenshot also works great as a wallpaper for your comp...

Please Join Us and Celebrate #HammerWeek, our 5th Anniversary Celebration

This week marks a huge milestone in the history of Sledgehammer Games. Today, we celebrate our 5-year anniversary as an independent development studio with our publishing partner Activision. From the beginning, we’ve set out to create a unique studio founded on the values of hard work, transparency, and a culture that empowers developers to do the best work of their careers. From day one, we set a singular goal - to achieve excellence in everything we do.We’ve had the chance to build our team fr...

Developing the Future Weapons for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare [Part 1]

When we began designing the near-future world of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, we started by researching how new and emerging technologies today would influence the future of advanced weaponry. That lead us to discover current R&D focused on innovations in 3D printing that will influence the battlefield of tomorrow – granting soldiers the unique ability to print their own gear on the field. Based on this research, we developed the Integrated Munitions Rifle – also known as the IMR. The design ...

Developing the Future Vehicles for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare [Part 2]

Nearly three years ago, our team set out to create the near-future world of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. We deeply researched not only the current technology that’s out there today, but the technology being researched and developed for tomorrow. Over the course of the development process, we consulted with technologist and futurists and worked closely with private and public technology companies to develop futuristic vehicles. When we decided that hoverbikes fit within the story of Advanced W...

Developing Future Vehicles for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare [Part 1]

When we set out three years ago to create the future world of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, we made a commitment to deliver a game set in the year 2054 that players can relate to. We studied the history of the automobile, planes, military equipment and even the creation of roads, bridges and railroads. This was all part of an effort we made to better understand the progression of land and air vehicles over time, and found that it helped us predict where they’re headed to in the future. We even...

DEVELOPING THE EXOSKELETON FOR CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE

Nearly three years ago, we set out on a quest to deliver an all-new near future setting for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The team focused on the tools that a Tier-1 Operator of the future would have, and began researching the technology that would be on the battlefield of tomorrow. Through research, and early gameplay prototypes, we were excited and inspired by the innovations that an exoskeleton would offer for our fans. “The idea for the exoskeleton came out of our extensive research into v...

A Wrap on This Year's E3 2014!

E3 2014 is a wrap and we had such an amazing time showing off a small glimpse of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. We loved hearing your excitement grow from the opening moments of the Xbox Media Briefing and introducing the world of advanced soldiers and exoskeletons through the single player mission ‘Induction,’ to the interviews and fan interactions with our studio co-founders, Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey. Our team has been hard at work on Advanced Warfare and we can’t say thanks enough ...

CALL OF DUTY®: ADVANCED WARFARE Retweet-to-Win #AdvancedWarfare T-Shirt Sweeps

We're giving away 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare T-Shirts starting right now. It's our way of giving back to the best community - the Call of Duty community. Please follow the rules below, and good luck!HOW TO ENTER:Retweet @SHGames daily entry tweets with the hashtag #AdvancedWarfare, in addition to a link to this blog post, for a chance to win. 10 Total Winners. Winners must be following @SHGames as they will be notified by Twitter Direct Message (“DM”) and must respond within 12 hours or...

Sledgehammer Games and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare at E3 2014

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost three years since we started working on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and the last time we were at E3 we were on the road sharing MW3. It's been quite the journey and our show plans are shaping up to be incredibly special. We’ve been busy reading all your comments, watching all your videos, and absolutely glowing with the excitement of sharing more with the greatest community on earth – the Call of Duty community. The anticipation of showing off the...

Introducing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare from Sledgehammer Games

To say that the team is excited about this week would be an understatement, and after close to three years we’re finally able to start talking about the project to our fans. We honestly couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our excitement for the reveal of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare than releasing the high-resolution image we teased at GDC 2014 during Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey’s talk entitled Quest for Quality: Maximizing the Relationship between Creative and Production. The i...

Staying Up-To-Date on Everything Sledgehammer Games

2014 is a huge year for us, and our team loves to stay connected with fans. While we have definitely been active over the last two and a half years sharing information about our studio culture, recruitment efforts, and some extremely vague clues as to what we’re working on, We’d like to cordially invite you to follow our official social channels and give you a brief overview of what types of information you can expect on them. Our Official SHG Website – The official channel from the studio to th...

Welcome to the New Sledgehammer Games Website

Our old website has officially dropped its last hammer as we’ve geared up for an amazing new era for Sledgehammer Games and Call of Duty. This is all part of our efforts to stay better connected with you going into an amazing new year for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare!Stick around and check back often. We will be to adding new site features and showing off exclusive digital content in the coming weeks. For now we encourage you to explore some of the new features of our site – be sure to stop by...

A Letter from Glen Schofield & Michael Condrey

Five years ago, we started on the most exciting journey of our careers. Sledgehammer Games was built around a singular goal - to create world-class interactive entertainment that entertains millions of fans around the world. We have a passion for creating games and a team dedicated to achieving excellence in everything that we do. Having the honor 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 ...

SHG December Charity: Family Giving Tree

The holidays are an extremely important time of year for the developers at Sledgehammer Games. Whether it be catching up with family, logging a few more hours of sleep than we're used to, or giving back to the community around us we're determined to get the most out of it. This year, we've decided to team up with Family Giving Tree - a nonprofit organization that helps give gifts to underprivileged children in the Bay Area. The best part of the charity is that they interview the children beforeh...

Thanksgiving Lunch at Sledgehammer Games

As we ready ourselves for a short Thanksgiving break next week, it's tradition at the studio to celebrate the holiday as a team before everyone goes their separate ways. This year's festivities were complete with all the fixin's, and Glen and Michael served the feast to our team in appreciation of all the hard work this year. Special thanks to all the fans out there for making our success possible! Getting ready to serve the team lunch. Food time! Nice spread. Capturing the excitement. Pie time....

Sledgehammer Games is Going Big for Extra-Life 2013

This year we're going all out for Extra Life 2013 by throwing a 25-hour gaming marathon at the studio that starts on November 1st and ends on November 2nd. All the proceeds benefit Extra Life and Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland. In 2011 we raised $5000, 2012 we raised over $10,000, and this year we're supersizing our goal to $15,000 to benefit the Children's Miracle Network. CMN tirelessly works to aid children with common childhood afflictions and life threatening challenges such ...

SHG Charity of the Month: Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA Mutt Strut

For our August charity last month, a group of Hammers donated their time to the annual Mutt Strut to raise awareness of the animals at the Peninsula Humane Association and SPCA. The money donated from the studio went directly to benefit the Hope Program which saves approximately 200 animals a month. In addition to money and time, the Sledgehammer Games studio team donated blankets, towels, and toys to animals waiting for permanent homes. The event ended the month long fundraising initiative for ...

Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey Added to the Critical Path Project Interview Archive

Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey were recently added to the Critical Path Project Interview Archives. For those not familiar with Critical Path, it's a treasure trove of shared knowledge from all the top game developers in the video game industry. We encourage you guys to check out Glen and Michael's segments, as well as click around on the page to discover more about the philosophy behind game-making. Click here for more videos from the Critical Path Project Interview Archive.

Leroy Sutton Visits Sledgehammer Games

It was our honor to recently invite Leroy Sutton to Sledgehammer Games. Sutton, a game design student and huge Call of Duty fan, came a long way to be with us - not just in distance traveled, but by sheer determination not to give up. His story was recently featured on ESPN, and we found it truly inspiring how he overcame the odds to pursue his passion. Leroy is set to graduate with a degree in video game design later this month, and we thought it would be a great opportunity for him to meet wit...

Sledgehammer Games Celebrates Its Fourth Birthday

Four years ago, Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey set out to build a world-class Bay Area development studio with a singular goal: Achieve Excellence. If you fast forward to today, they sit with an assembly of 150 premier developers, look out at a studio that's doubled in size since 2009, have Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 under their belts, and both consider this just the start of something bigger. Glen and Michael kicked our anniversary festivities off by honoring the team's past accomplishm...

E3 2013 is a Wrap!

E3 2013 Objectives complete! This year was such an incredible time for new software and hardware! We believe that the week after E3 should be about catching up on some much-needed rest, and thanking those responsible for making the event such a great time. To everyone that we met last week, thanks for telling your stories, demoing your games, and a special thanks for making this year's E3 visit memorable for everyone that attended from the Sledgehammer Games Studio team. Please enjoy the photos ...

E3 Kicks Off!!

What an incredible start to a big week. Congratulations to the developers on Call of Duty Ghost for an amazing show Sunday afternoon on Spike TV. Monday was equally exciting with both Microsoft's Xbox One Presentation and Sony's PS4 Reveal. Today marks the official show opening and there are so many exciting things to see in the days ahead. Are you going to E3? If so, then be on the lookout for the Sledgehammer Games dev team. Definitely come up and say hi and you might even score a patch studio...

Sledgehammer Games and E3 2013!

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, held annually in Los Angeles, begins next week on June 11th and runs through June 13th. E3 is one of the biggest gatherings on the video game calendar and we can't wait to see more of the great titles in development from our colleagues across the industry. Activision, publisher of Call of Duty: Ghosts, Destiny and the Skylanders franchise, as well as Sledgehammer Game's parent company, will once again be a major presence. Equally, we're thrilled to see more fro...

Hammers Do Their Part for Earth Day 2013

Our hats are off to the Hammers that attended the California Parks Foundation's 16th Annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup. One of our core studio principals is to give back to the community around us, and last weekend a group volunteered to clean up Dunes Beach, part of Half Moon State Beach, in Half Moon Bay, California. The cleanup consisted of the removal of non-native plants, planting native plants, fixing posts, and the installation of garbage and recycling areas. One of the teams that ...

Sledgehammer Games at GDC 2013

The Game Developers Conference, held annually in San Francisco, is a a great chance for our developers to mingle with peers, get back to their roots, and celebrate the video game industry. This year, a group of Hammers attended GDC 2013 and had an excellent time soaking in the culture and learning a lot from the presenters. Check below for a few images from the event last week! Picture of the crowd at Activision's GDC Party. Good times were had by all. Basket of Activision's Atari history at the...

Sledgehammer Games Announces New Initiative in Social Entertainment

Today at GDC 2013, Sledgehammer Games unveiled a new face for the development company - "Rubber Mallet Games," and announced that they would be pushing the initiative to "Connect Through Caring™." The studio team, comprised of 140+ developers, will be transitioning their efforts from developing AAA games over to mobile and social platforms to create games to connect players and fans on an intimate and emotional level. "GDC has always been the venue for bold and thought provoking initiatives in o...

Audio Suite Open House at Sledgehammer Games

We're extremely happy to announce that our massive, six-month long, studio expansion is finally complete! Last Friday, we cut the ribbon on our new Audio Suites, and celebrated with as much wine, cheese, and beer as possible. If you've been following along with us over the past six months, you know that we've been undergoing a massive build out project that has doubled the size of our studio to make room for 40 new jobs in 2013. The last phase of the project was to design and build six state-of-...

Sledgehammer Games Wants You!

For the people that follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin you know we are growing like gang busters. But what does it all really mean? Sledgehammer Games is gearing up to deliver our next title, and we just completed a massive expansion project to make room for YOU! In addition to adding more space for engineers, artists (of all disciplines), and designers, we've added space specifically for our embedded quality assurance team, a state-of-the-art focus test room, and a film studio quality...

Glen Schofield's Keynote at D.I.C.E. 2013 - The Art of Inspiration

Didn't make it to DICE 2013? Don't worry, we have you covered. Here's the full video from Glen Schofield's Keynote Speech on The Art of Inspiration. Did you know he used the sound of the BART Train in Dead Space? Be sure to watch the full video above for more about how the world around Glen inspires him to make games.

D.I.C.E. Schedule for Wednesday, February 6th

D.I.C.E. Schedule for Thursday, February 7th

Hammers Give Back to the Community at the San Francisco Food Bank

At Sledgehammer Games, we're dedicated to making an impact within the video game community, as well as the community around us. On Tuesday, January 22nd we were given the opportunity by the SF Food Bank to donate our time to help feed those in need in the Bay Area. The SF Food Bank has a dedicated staff of 120 employees, 25,000 volunteers annually, and produces an impressive 100,000 meals per day. Our group was responsible for boxing up carrots, pears and beans and loading them on pallets to be ...

Every Episode of Glen Schofield on GameTrailers' Bonus Round

!http://i.imgur.com/r8K2Y.jpg|style=width: 580px; height: 325px;|src=http://i.imgur.com/r8K2Y.jpg! Glen Schofield represented the Sledgehammer Games crew on [GameTrailers' | http://www.gametrailers.com/] Bonus Roundby making a total of five guest appearances in December. Well done, Glen! Along with the Game of the Year nominations, Geoff, Glen and the other guests discuss noteable next gen games from Microsoft, Sony and 3rd Party Developers, and the release of Nintendo's Wii U. Also, be sure to ...

Sledgehammer Games Holiday Party 2012

Sledgehammer Games celebrated the 2012 holidays in style at Lolinda Restaurant in the Mission District of San Francisco. We packed the house with our developers, loved ones and friends for a wonderful night filled with whiskey tasting, tango dancing, and top-notch Argentinian delicacies. Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey toasted the team with a salute to the studio, Call of Duty, and the successes of 2012. Be sure to check out the full gallery of our party images on our Facebook page, and follo...

The Sledgehammer Games Challenge Coin

I had the opportunity to join a Navy Seal operator on a SWAT shoot house exercise recently. The experience was incredible. Participating in the drills was nothing short of exhilarating. At the conclusion, I was awarded a Navy Seal challenge coin for scoring the highest marks on the "El Presidente" hostage scenario. The recognition from a top tier Seal, as well as the coin itself, was really meaningful. For those not familiar with the history of challenge coins, they originated during the First W...

Glen Schofield on GameTrailers' Bonus Round

Our very own Glen Schofield will be appearing on Bonus Round, a GameTrailers show hosted by Geoff Keighley over the next month until December 30th. The first episode discusses Spike TV's Game of the Year nominations, and the winners will be announced live Friday, December 7th 9pm ET, 6pm PT on Spike. Along with the Game of the Year nominations, Geoff, Glen and the other guests discuss noteable next gen games from Microsoft, Sony and 3rd Party Developers, and the release of Nintendo's Wii U. Chec...

A LOOK #INSIDEDEV

Game development is hard work, and a tons of fun. We can't say anything about "our next big thing" just yet, but we are dying to share it with you. In the meantime, check out some of these pictures of how people decorate their desks here at the studio, our Halloween Costume Contest, and Thanksgiving. Be sure to hit us up on Twitter and Facebook to let us know what you think. "What's on your desk" via our Character Technical Director. "What's on your desk?" via our Development Manager. Halloween ...

Glen Schofield's Trip to India for NGDC 2012

From the left: Dib, Manvendra, Mike Wallen and Glen Schofield. Railways in Dehli. One of the many Monuments of National Importance in Dehli. Tree shrine in Dehli. Fruit cart on the side of the road in Pune. Decorated trucks on the highway between Pune and Mumbai. Alleyway in Mumbai. Sagar Gyan College of Engineering in Madhya Pradesh. Riding an elephant down a highway on the way to Mumbai from Pune. Kanheri Caves in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Dehli.

Sledgehammer Games and Extra-Life 2012!

What a great year for Extra-Life and Sledgehammer Games! For the second year in a row, the studio participated in this incredible industry event and we're proud to have exceeded our $10,000 goal for Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland, a Children's Miracle Network hospital. From putting our word out on our Twitter and Facebook, to going grass roots and calling family members to make an hourly pledge to our gaming marathon, everyone at the studio made an excellent effort. A big hats off...

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Awarded Game Design of the Year by The Korea Games Conference

The Korea Games Conference winners were selected today, and we're proud to announce that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was awarded the top honor for Game Design of the Year. We're extremely happy that Michael Condrey and Joe Salud were in attendance at the show, and were able to accept the award on behalf of everyone at Sledgehammer Games. We'd like to thank all the developers that worked on the game, and the support we constantly receive from fans and communities across the world. From everyon...

Sledgehammer Games Softball Season Wrap-Up

Our lunchtime softball season has officially ended, and we're excited to say that even though we didn't take the championship we had a great time out there this year. With a record of 11 wins and only 3 losses, momentum wasn't an issue for Team Sledgehammer, but occasional loose bats flying at the dugout were. Don't worry - we won't mention you by name, Larry! When the playoffs came along, we faced Crystal Dynamics, who took some time off from developing Tomb Raider to win by two runs in the sem...

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Receives the Global Award from Japanese Game Awards

The Japan Game Awards 2012 were announced over the weekend at Tokyo Game Show, and we're happy to have received the Global Award from Japanese Game Awards for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. We're extremely proud of the game, our development team, and of course for the amazing support from the best worldwide fan community in our industry. On behalf of Sledgehammer Games and everyone involved in the development of MW3, we thank the officials at Japanese Game Awards and CESA for this prestigious h...

Sledgehammer Games is Hammering Away - Studio Expansion Begins!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was a big game and it took a huge team effort to get the job done well. Our next project is going to be bigger and more ambitious than ever. For some time now, plans have been in motion to expand our state-of-the-art studio and we officially kicked off demolition with a literal Sledgehammer party! A few swings, and probably a few OSHA violations later, and we were able to see daylight through the opening. We're extremely happy to announce that the expansion doubles...

Xbox 360 and PS3 ELITE Premium Content Drops for September Announced

We're extremely excited to debut the trailer for Collection 4. With an emphasis on the multiplayer experience, this new content for Xbox 360 Elite Premium Subscribers delivers three new maps to add to your playlist. Don't worry, PS3 Elite Premium Subscribers, we have you covered too. On 9/6 you'll be able to download Collection 3: Chaos Pack. This includes Special Ops Missions Light 'Em Up, Special Delivery and Special Ops Chaos Mode.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Demo Launches August 23rd, 2012

Do you know someone who's been hiding under a rock for the last year, and still hasn't played MW3? Then you're in luck! The free demo for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 releases tomorrow, August 23rd on Xbox Live - featuring one of our favorite single player missions "Black Tuesday." Why are we releasing it now, you might ask? Incredibly, there are still people out there that haven't played a Call of Duty game. Crazy, right? So help us spread the word by tweeting using #MW3demo, and you could po...

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 DLC Achievement/Trophy Icons

To celebrate the release of Collection 3: Chaos Pack we've assembled the artwork for all of the DLC Trophies and Achievements in MW3. Better yet, we threw them all into one image so you can see them in their high resolution glory. So check them out, let us know which ones are your favorites, and which ones you still have to collect. There's plenty more icon artwork to check out here. Please be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to see more of the amazing artwork that Sledgehamm...

Habitat for Humanity: Our Dev Team Creatively Gives Back

Over the weekend we went from game builds, to building for charity. In this particular event, hosted by Habitat for Humanity, we came together to build a playhouse that's customized based on our style. The playhouse will go on to be auctioned off to the highest bidder to raise funds to build houses for families in need. Giving back to the community is an important tradition at Sledgehammer Games, and we definitely encourage our fans to do the same. Check out the Habitat for Humanity site for a p...

A LOOK #INSIDEDEV

Game development is hard work, and a tons of fun. We can't say anything about "our next big thing" just yet, but we are dying to share it with you. So break out your magnifying glasses, open up Photoshop, and let us know what you think about these #insidedev shots on Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to follow @SHGames and @MichaelCondrey for more looks #insidedev.

SLEDGEHAMMER GAMES TURNS 3!

Sledgehammer Games celebrates our third birthday! From our humble beginning in 2009, to the incredible journey developing 2011's Action Game of the Year with Call of Duty MW3, we thank our supporters and fans for three amazing years as a studio. There's definitely no better way to celebrate the amazing time we've had so far than spending a day as a team riding rollercoasters and enjoying the beautiful California weather. Check out the photos below for a little taste of the action. If you're inte...

Sledgehammer Games & Gamestop Present: PowerUp Rewards - Modern Warfare 3 Epic Reward Combat Experience

For the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 we paired up with GameStop to give away the ultimate Epic Rewards Combat Experience. The winners flew out to San Francisco for a tour of Sledgehammer Games, and then on to Minnesota for a day of tank driving and combat simulation! The winners, along with Michael Condrey and Josh Katz from Sledgehammer Games, were given time to understand military vehicle history, tour of the storage and restoration facilities, and driving time in an FV433 Abbot a...

Xbox 360 and PS3 ELITE Premium Content Drops for July Announced

Who wants new maps? Answer: Everyone! There's brand new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 content drops scheduled for next week for people on PS3 and Xbox360. Please check the list below for details: - Xbox 360 Elite Premium Content Drops 16-18 (Spec Ops Mission Vertigo, MP Maps Decommission and Offshore) are available to download on Tuesday, July 17. - PS3 Elite Content Drops 13-15 (Spec Ops Mission Arctic Recon and Face Off Maps Vortex, U-Turn and Intersection) are available to download on Thursd...

Sledgehammer Helps SMASH The Opportunity Gap

Sledgehammer Games recently partnered with the Level Playing Field Institute (LPFI) and hosted its first-ever in-house mentor session. Fourteen high-potential students from LPFI's local SMASH Academy (or Summer Math and Science Honors) got a special look behind the scenes of game development, as SHG had six members of their team representing Game/Level Design, Art, Character/Animation, and Engineering. Each presenter gave a brief overview of what they do, how they got into gaming, information ab...

MW3 Concept Artwork

Tired of scouring the internet in search of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Concept Art? You're in luck! We've pulled together some of the best pieces right here on our Sledgehammer Games Community Blog. We'll be updating the series regularly with high-quality versions of artwork you've already seen, some artwork you may have missed, and some of our favorite fan art [submit: info@sledgehammergames.com]. Stay tuned to our blog and be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates.

ONE WEEK ONLY! MAP PACKS - 50% OFF!

For one week only, starting July 3rd, all Call of Duty MW3 and Call of Duty Black Ops MAP PACKS are 50% OFF their original purchase price. This is a great opporunity for you to score on an awesome deal and enjoy some of the best DLC content ever assembled in the Call of Duty franchise. Even more awesome is the fact that a portion of the sales will be donated by Activision Publishing, Inc. to the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit organization that provides job placement and training services f...

INSIDE DEVELOPMENT at SLEDGEHAMMER GAMES

This week's exclusive new look from the "Inside Development" at Sledgehammer Games series via @MichaelCondrey #whoah.

MW3 ACHIVEMENT/TROPHY ICON ARTWORK

With so much love and detail that goes into creating every single piece of art that goes into the game, sometimes it's good to get a reminder and rediscover other pieces of the art work such as the Achievement/Trophy Icon Art that was created for Modern Warfare 3. In this high-res image, you can really see all of the little details that give life to each Achivement and Trophy that is unlocked during game play. Stay tuned here and @SHGames as we will also be releasing the DLC Achievement/Trophy I...

COMMUNITY GAME NIGHT

What's the perfect way to celebrate the brand new MW3 DLC Drop tomorrow for all XBOX LIVE Elite Premium members? How about a community game night where we play with you! This Friday, June 22 starting at 7pm (PST) we are teaming up with our friends over at CharlieIntel.com for what is sure to be one epic community game night! The development team here at Sledgehammer Games will be jumping on XBOX LIVE, along with the CharlieIntel.com community members for some intense MP action where we will shar...