Reports Of Developer Shakeup On 'Call Of Duty' Hit Activision Blizzard's Stock

Reports of a big developer shakeup on the "Call of Duty" franchise had shares of Activision Blizzard, Inc. ATVI tumbling Monday.

What Happened

Gaming industry website Kotaku reported Sunday that development on next year's version of the game was in "major upheaval," after the publisher notified the two studios that had been leading the project, Raven and Sledgehammer, that they'd no longer be in charge of it. Kotaku cited three unnamed sources in reporting that Treyarch will lead development on a new "Call of Duty Black Ops 5" for 2020.

Activision Blizzard is "apparently consolidating Call of Duty studios, which makes investors fear delays," Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter told Benzinga.

Why It's Important

The move would be a major shift for the company's first-person shooter franchise. Treyarch was the lead studio on Black Ops 2, 3 and 4. Raven and Sledgehammer will serve as support studios for the new game, according to the Kotaku report.

Activision Blizzard shares were down 6 percent to $43.58 at time of publication.

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