Activision has revealed actors Gary Oldman and Ed Harris as two of the main voices for characters in Call of Duty: Black Ops. Oldman will be reprising his role from Call of Duty: World at War, where he played Russian Red Army squad leader Viktor Reznov, and Harris is lending his voice to CIA operative Jason Hudson (said to be "one of the game's main characters").
Additionally, Batman film writer David S. Goyer is offering "script consultation and story development support" on Black Ops, presumably offering suggestions like "make the main character's voice darker, more gravelly." Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia said of the announcement, "Their contributions have helped us to push the boundaries of our story telling and character development far beyond anything we have ever attempted before in the franchise." Does that mean this time we'll understand what's going on? We can only hope.
A recent interview by Eurogamer with EA Partners boss David DeMartini offers some good perspective on the actual state of Respawn Entertainment. For those just joining us, Respawn is the studio created by Jason West and Vince Zampella, former heads of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare studio Infinity Ward, after an uncomfortably public break-up with Activision earlier this year. DeMartini says, "I know everybody is going to say, 'Well what are they working on?' The thing everybody needs to remember is they were starting at absolute zero."
DeMartini explains that when EA took the pair on they didn't have a workspace, furniture, HR or any of the basic administration that goes into a development house. The executive claims to have no idea what the duo is working on -- and if the dude fronting the cash doesn't know, it'll be quite a wait before the public finds out.
In comparison, Insomniac's multi-platform project with EA seems to be coming along more rapidly, with DeMartini expecting its unveiling much sooner.
#callofduty
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