Sledgehammer Games facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sledgehammer Games, Inc.

Former headquarters building in Foster City, California
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Video games
Founded	July 21, 2009; 16 years ago (2009-07-21)
Founders	Michael Condrey Glen Schofield
Headquarters	Foster City, California, US
Number of locations	4 (2024)
Key people	Aaron Halon (studio head) Andy Wilson (COO) David Swenson (creative director)
Products	Call of Duty series (2011–present)
Number of employees	450+ (2021)
Parent	Activision
Divisions	Sledgehammer Games Melbourne Sledgehammer Games Toronto Sledgehammer Games Guildford

Sledgehammer Games, Inc. is an American company that makes video games. It was started in 2009 by Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey. These two people used to work at another game company called EA Redwood Shores. There, they helped create the game Dead Space. Sledgehammer Games is located in Foster City, California. This studio has made and helped make many games in the popular Call of Duty series. The company is owned by Activision, a very large video game publisher.

In 2024, Sledgehammer Games closed its main office in California. Employees began working from home for the rest of that year. Also in 2024, about 30% of the company's employees were laid off. This happened as part of a big change within Microsoft Gaming, which owns Activision.

How Sledgehammer Games Started

Sledgehammer Games was founded by Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey. They first worked together in 2005 at EA Redwood Shores. They collaborated on a game called 007: From Russia with Love. Later, they worked together again on Dead Space. Both men had similar backgrounds and skills that worked well together.

Joining the Activision Family

After starting Sledgehammer Games on July 21, 2009, Schofield and Condrey had an idea. They wanted to make a new Call of Duty game that was played from a third-person view. This would be different from the usual first-person view. Activision, a big game company, liked their idea. The CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, offered to bring Sledgehammer Games into the Activision group.

Schofield and Condrey agreed to this offer. They saw it as a chance to keep their company's creative spirit and team. At the same time, they would have the support of one of the biggest game publishers.

Working on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Sledgehammer Games worked on their third-person Call of Duty game for about six to eight months in 2009. They even made a short playable part of the game. However, things changed when there was a leadership change at Infinity Ward. Infinity Ward was the studio that made the Modern Warfare games.

Activision then asked Sledgehammer Games to stop their third-person project. Instead, they asked them to help Infinity Ward finish the next game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. This was a big challenge for Sledgehammer Games. They had to switch from a game type they knew well to a very tight schedule for a major series. The team at Sledgehammer Games agreed to take on this risk.

This partnership was the first time two studios worked together to make a Modern Warfare game. Both companies' logos appeared on the game's box. Despite their different ways of working, the two teams worked well together. They met in 2010 to share ideas. Both teams wanted the game to be set in Europe and to finish the story that had been building for years.

Sledgehammer Games first logo (2009–2021)

Developing New Call of Duty Titles

In February 2014, it was announced that Sledgehammer Games would be making a new Call of Duty game for release that year. On May 1, 2014, a gaming magazine showed a picture of a soldier wearing a special exo-skeleton suit. More details, including the game's full name and a trailer, were planned for May 4. However, the trailer was leaked early. It confirmed the game was Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, which came out on November 4, 2014.

On April 21, 2017, Sledgehammer Games and Activision announced their next Call of Duty game. It was called Call of Duty: WWII and was released on November 3, 2017.

Changes in Leadership and New Studios

In February 2018, the founders Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey left Sledgehammer Games. They still worked with Activision for a short time. Later, Condrey left Activision to start a new company called 31st Union. Schofield also left to create Striking Distance Studios.

In 2019, Sledgehammer Games was working with Raven Software on Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The two teams had different ideas for the game. Because of this, Activision brought in another developer, Treyarch, to take over the main development. Sledgehammer and Raven Software then helped as partner studios.

Sledgehammer Games started opening new offices around the world. In September 2019, they opened a studio in Melbourne, Australia. By May 2020, Sledgehammer Games was working on multiple projects and had over 200 employees. They planned to hire 100 more people in the next year.

Sledgehammer Games second logo (2021–2023)

In May 2021, Sledgehammer announced a new studio in Toronto, Canada. By August 2021, Sledgehammer Games had over 450 employees. More than 150 people worked in Melbourne, and over 10 in Toronto. In October 2021, they opened another new studio in Guildford in the UK. Sledgehammer led the creation of Call of Duty: Vanguard, which was released on November 5, 2021.

After some information was leaked in 2023, Sledgehammer developed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. This was the twentieth game in the Call of Duty series. It was released on November 10, 2023.

In January 2024, Microsoft Gaming laid off many staff members. Sledgehammer Games was also affected by these layoffs. The studio reportedly lost up to 30% of its staff due to these changes.

How Sledgehammer Games Works

Sledgehammer Games has a special studio designed for making games. It has an open layout, advanced equipment, and even a theater.

As of August 2021, Sledgehammer employs about 450 people. When new employees join, they receive a special coin. This coin is engraved with the values of Sledgehammer Games. This tradition comes from World War I, when soldiers were given coins to show they belonged to a certain group.

Games Made by Sledgehammer Games

See also

In Spanish: Sledgehammer Games para niños