'Call of Duty' developer doubles down on Europe

Activision Blizzard developer Infinity Ward will establish a Barcelona team and grow its Call of Duty-focused studios on the European continent.

Why is Call of Duty’s Lt. Simon “Ghost” Riley grinning? Because he’s thrilled at the prospect of more jamón ibérico. (Illustration: Activision)

Who doesn’t love Barcelona?

It’s a great place to call home and game developer Infinity Ward has noticed. Headquartered outside of Los Angeles with studios in Texas, Mexico, and Poland, Infinity Ward, known for its work on Activision’s Call of Duty series of games, has announced that it’s setting up shop in the innovative Catalan capital.

Better still: It’s moving in with Activision sibling Digital Legends, the talented mobile game developer that has been based in Barcelona since its 2001 founding. (Candy Crush maker King also has a large studio in the city.) Digital Legends, which has doubled its headcount since joining Activision in 2021, is already hard at work on Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile. The two teams will work side-by-side in Barcelona’s L'Eixample district.

Who wouldn’t want a local to show you around?

Activision Blizzard, which recently emphasized its commitment to Europe, is looking closely at the region to grow its studio footprint. The move builds on the company’s already extensive presence on the continent, with offices in Sweden, Spain, Germany, Romania, and Poland, among other EU countries.

For good reason: Europe has played a key role in the evolution of gaming—particularly mobile gaming—across the globe and it’s not unreasonable to expect developers on the continent to maintain that momentum thanks to ample skills, ambition, and government support. 

Indeed, Infinity Ward is hard at work on the Modern Warfare slice of the Call of Duty universe, while Digital Legends is preparing for the launch of the mobile version of the Warzone branch of the CoD tree.

After all, life is good in the land of Call of Duty. Modern Warfare II was the highest grossing entertainment opening last year, crossing $1 billion in sell-through worldwide in the first 10 days following its Oct. 28 release. Warzone’s Season 04, which arrived on June 14, gave players new features and new locales to battle in. Meanwhile Warzone Mobile, which promises to bring the battle royale to your pocket, is planned for release later this year.

Good thing Infinity Ward and Digital Legends are hiring.

Go deeper

• Inside the creative culture of Infinity Ward (Sept. 9, 2022)

• How Infinity Ward employees supported Ukrainian war refugees (Aug. 9, 2022)