Right now developer Infinity Ward doesn't know what they plan to do next, but they won't be leaving Call of Duty until they're convinced they "can't innovate any further" in the series.
The team think of Modern Warfare 2 "as a new IP," it'll never be referred to as 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' ingame. Whatever lies outside COD, it "will be fresh and it will be great."
"Eventually we'll do something else, and it will be fun and it will be awesome and it will be fresh and it will be great," Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling tells VideoGamer.com.
"When we feel like we can't innovate any further in the Call of Duty franchise, then we'll do something else. A lot of that mentality went into Modern Warfare 2. That's why it's Modern Warfare 2. It is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but you'll never see that in game. We never call it that. It's because we think of this as a new IP." Modern Warfare 3 is likely certain.
"Honestly we have no clue what our next game is. I'm planning on taking a nap for three months. And then maybe I'll wake up," he said. Bungie of course will be stepping away from the Halo IP once next year's Halo: Reach is released.
Maybe some sort of crazy collaboration between Bungie and Infinity could take place...? Both developers have managed to create super goliath franchises.