Eric Hirshberg, the CEO of Activision Publishing, disclosed the merger through a recent internal memo.
"As you know, Neversoft and Infinity Ward teamed up for the development of Call of Duty: Ghosts," wrote Hirshberg. "And through that process, it became clear that the two studios have very complementary skill sets. Between these two excellent studios, it seemed like a single 'super-studio' could emerge."
As a result, however, the Neversoft name will be retired.
"The impact of their 20-year run of hard work and success cannot be overstated," said Hirshberg. "As already mentioned, we are merging these two very talented teams and obviously had to choose a name for the combined studio. Since the Infinity Ward brand is indelibly tied to the Call of Duty franchise, it is the sensible choice. While it will be strange to not see the Neversoft logo on future games, the important things--which are the Neversoft team’s talent, creativity, professionalism and commitment to creative excellence--all remain unchanged as part of this new chapter."
As a result, however, the Neversoft name will be retired.
"The impact of their 20-year run of hard work and success cannot be overstated," said Hirshberg. "As already mentioned, we are merging these two very talented teams and obviously had to choose a name for the combined studio. Since the Infinity Ward brand is indelibly tied to the Call of Duty franchise, it is the sensible choice. While it will be strange to not see the Neversoft logo on future games, the important things--which are the Neversoft team’s talent, creativity, professionalism and commitment to creative excellence--all remain unchanged as part of this new chapter."
Dave Stohl will be the lead of the new studio. At present, he is the Executive VP of Worldwide Studios for Activision. He's been with Activision for 19 years. Infinity Ward's current studio head, Steve Ackrich, will stay with the company in a leadership position.
Joel Jewett and Scott Pease, the studio head and studio director for Neversoft, respectively, will be retiring from games after the merger is complete.
