Call of Duty studio Sledgehammer Games has opened an Australian branch

Sledgehammer Games is opening a studio in Australia, according to the company's "first official hire". Melbourne developer Alayna Cole announced the news on Twitter yesterday, confirming she will start work this coming Monday in her role as a producer.

While it's the first public mention of the studio's existence, listings on LinkedIn suggest recruitment started as far back as three years ago. This advertisement for a software engineer dates that far back, while the Sledgehammer Games website currently lists five vacancies for the Melbourne branch.

Australia used to be home to several big studios belonging to major publishers, including the likes of 2K Australia and THQ. While the indie scene flourishes, Sledgehammer joins EA's Firemonkeys as one of the two sole operating entities connected to the big end of town.

Sledgehammer is responsible for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Advanced Warfare and WWII. No word yet on what Sledgehammer will be working on locally, but I've reached out to Activision for comment.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.