Infinity Ward says the little-discussed current-gen versions of Call of Duty: Ghosts are actually benefitting from a parallel development cycle with next-generation versions.

The media spotlight has been squarely on the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game, but Infinity Ward executive producer Mark Rubin assures fans that the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are receiving the same care and attention at the development level.

"Having an agnostic start, even before next-gen came out, really helped us get into this," Rubin told Games Industry.

"We're not making one platform and then porting. All the platforms are actually made at the same time. When somebody checks some work in, they have to make sure every platform works and that that check doesn't break on one platform," he explained.

"The new engine that we created is across all platforms. It's not just next-gen. So the current-gen is actually getting a lot of benefit out of this new engine," added Rubin.

He went on to say that the developer has adopted a new practice in art asset creation in order to optimize art across current and next-gen. "We're making our big art assets at cinema quality, not even PC quality, but above next-gen," he said.

"We use that and we create assets for each platform that are the best for the platform. So now every platform, instead of having a sort of average art asset, they're getting the best asset for that platform."

Activision Publishing president Epic Hirshberg said in a recent earnings call that pre-orders for Call of Duty: Ghosts are "well below" that of last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 owing to 'hesitation' caused by the looming console transition.

He went on to assure investors that the company has in place "the most aggressive marketing, retail, and digital programs in the history of the franchise" for this year's entry.

Activision has confirmed a Call of Duty: Ghosts release date of November 5 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. The game will be a launch title for Xbox One and PS4.

Posted: Aug 06, 2013 5:54 pm
Related Forum: Call of Duty Forum

Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/422913/current-gen-cod-ghosts-benefitting-from-next-gen-development-says-iw/