New Activision studio established to develop a brand-new franchise

Activision has established a new internal development studio called Elsewhere Entertainment.

Headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, it’s been formed to create a brand-new franchise for the Xbox-owned publisher best known for Call of Duty.

Elsewhere’s team consists of “storytelling experts” who previously plied their trade at Naughty Dog (The Last of Us, Uncharted), CD Projekt Red (The Witcher, Cyberpunk), Bungie (Destiny) and Ubisoft (The Division, Far Cry).

In a blog post, Activision said Elsewhere is “exclusively focused on creating a new narrative-based and genre-defining AAA franchise”.

“The team’s underlying mission encourages everyone to explore and collaborate creatively to craft a franchise with an enduring legacy that resonates far beyond games,” it added.

“Elsewhere is opening its search for best-in-class talent from across the industry and around the world to help create a state-of-the-art and next generation gaming experience.”

The Xbox Games Showcase – the first to include games across Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, and Xbox Game Studios – will be livestreamed on June 9.

It will be followed by a mystery product showcase, where it’s expected that this year’s Call of Duty game will be revealed.

This year’s Call of Duty is reportedly a new Black Ops game set in the 1990s during the Gulf War, with development being led by Treyarch.