Sledgehammer Games is a name almost exclusively associated with Call of Duty. Since opening its doors in 2011, the studio has either led or supported development on nearly every major entry in Activision’s flagship shooter series, from Modern Warfare 3 to Vanguard, and most recently assisting Treyarch and Raven Software on Black Ops 7 in late 2025.

But a newly surfaced LinkedIn profile suggests Sledgehammer may have been working on something wildly different behind the scenes an unannounced action RPG with an expansive world and deep, original lore.

If true, it would mark one of the biggest creative pivots in the studio’s history.

The discovery comes from the LinkedIn profile of Ben Wanat, now the creative director and co-founder of Lurker Entertainment. Wanat previously worked at Sledgehammer Games from 2019 until August 2025, holding the role of Senior Creative Director.

Buried in his work history is a brief but eye-catching description:

Creative Director for unannounced action RPG

That single line opens the door to a lot of speculation especially when paired with the responsibilities listed under the role.

What the Role Suggests

According to Wanat’s profile, his work on the unannounced project included:

• Franchise planning, pitching, and hiring
• Directing prototypes and mechanics-rich player systems
• World and location layout
• Concept and asset creation for cultures, environments, and characters
• Lore books covering world history, cultures, and languages

This isn’t the kind of involvement you’d expect from a side experiment or a small internal pitch. The scope described points toward a large-scale RPG, complete with original civilizations, fictional languages, and a carefully constructed narrative backbone.

In short, it sounds like the foundation of a brand-new IP.

For most of the past decade, Sledgehammer Games has functioned primarily as a Call of Duty support studio, stepping into leadership roles only for Vanguard (2021) and Modern Warfare III (2023). Outside of that, the team has been deeply embedded in Activision’s shooter pipeline.

There was recent talk of Sledgehammer assisting with Nintendo Switch ports of Call of Duty, but that information surfaced months ago and didn’t hint at anything outside the franchise.

An action RPG especially one focused on lore, cultures, and world-building would be completely uncharted territory for the studio.

Whether this action RPG becomes Activision’s next big reveal or a cancelled “what-if” project, it’s clear that Sledgehammer has been thinking bigger and very differently than its public output might suggest.