Call of Duty Online is real

As well as the shock scrapping of the iconic Guitar Hero franchise this evening, Activision has delivered another shocker – the first word of an online-only spin-off to the Call of Duty universe.

Details are scant and come from the ongoing investor conference call.

The publisher has lifted the lid on what it calls Project Beachhead, which is charged with creating an online community to "super charge" the Call of Duty IP. Effectively, it’s a new platform for the COD brand.

An online-only title has been in development for over a year, with the aim being to release a standalone title in China at some point, perhaps this year.

"The platform will support in-game integration and bring online experiences and console play together for the first time," Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg stated.

More details are promised in "the near future".

The admission is the fruition of a prolonged spell of rumours that Activision was planning on creating new methods to monetise the online element of its series – rumours that the publisher has consistently denied.