Analyst: Infinity Ward to be ‘essentially closed’

With so many key players leaving Infinity Ward following the studio’s co-founder’s dismissal — along with a bevy of related lawsuits — things aren’t looking good for the developer.

According to analyst Mike Hickey of Janco Partners, Infinity Ward as we know it may not be around for much longer.

“We expect Infinity Ward studio will be essentially closed after their next map pack released,” he says, “with development work on Modern Warfare 3 spread between two studios not historically tied to the franchise.”

The closure of the studio wouldn’t mean the death of the Call of Duty franchise though, with at least two studios — Sledgehammer and Treyarch — having their hands in new titles. As for Modern Warfare 3 “proper,” Hickey expects we’ll see it during Activision’s fiscal fourth quarter of 2011.

Did you guys love the studio or the franchise? With Infinity Ward out of the picture, will you continue to support Call of Duty and Modern Warfare games, or have you turned your attention to Respawn for the “next big thing”?

Analyst: Infinity Ward To Be ‘Essentially Closed’ After Next Map Pack? [Gamasutra]