The studio behind the Tony Hawk series and Guitar Hero have started working on Call of Duty. Evil Avatar note that their website has been updated with a message saying "we have molded our team into a crack squad of eager developers ready to push the First Person Action genre in support of Activision's Call of Duty franchise."

Working "in support" suggests they might be handling ongoing DLC content for an upcoming Call of Duty, in the same way that Sledgehammer are supporting Modern Warfare 3 with Call of Duty Elite content. Alternatively, they could be working on a new CoD title entirely, but will it have skateboards?

It's impossible to tell at this early stage, but judging from the cycling mocap studio shots and the job listings on the site, it won't be a small spin-off. The job ads require "experience designing top notch levels or gameplay experiences in shipped AAA titles" So there we are, Neversoft are the latest members of Activision's Call of Duty tag team, consisting of Treyarch, Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer and Raven.

Treyarch are busy putting together Call of Duty: Black Ops for release later this year. Based on previous form, Infinity Ward will be making Modern Warfare 4 for 2013, but a Neversoft project could give one of Activision's other studios an extra year or two to move CoD into an upgraded engine, though that may be wishful thinking. Frostbite 2 will start pushing 64-bit OS systems next year, with the release of Battlefield 3 and Medal of Honor, Call of Duty is in danger of looking increasingly dated.

 
"Noisy" and "quite orange" were the two overriding sentiments coming out of the E3 2012 demo for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. The futuristic setting does allow for some neat toys, though. There's a sniper section in which the player plugs enemies from a broken carriageway, spying and shooting them through solid concrete pillars, Perfect Dark style.

It's loud and full of bangs, but there's no sign of any deviation from the traditional Call of Duty linear set-piece to set-piece progression here, and while there's technically plenty going on (mostly explosions), up-close, the engine is starting to show its age, especially when lined up alongside the Medal of Honor trailer that also emerged from the E3 conferences today. What do you think of the new setting?

The introduction of the Frostbite 2 with Battlefield 3 last year threw down the gauntlet to other shooters. Visually, things have taken a step up, so it's interesting to see how the other big shooter franchises like Call of Duty respond. Black Ops 2 was revealed just a few weeks ago, and while it's been updated, it's still running on the modified version of the id Tech 3 engine that the series has been using for years. Treyarch aren't concerned.

Mark Lamia spoke about the Black Ops 2 engine to One of Swords. "People always ask me, “Is this a new engine?” I liken it to people who live in an older house that has been remodeled," he said. "Just because you’re remodeling the house and it will look new or it will have a new kitchen, you don’t tear out the foundation, or break out some of the framing. You might even go as hardcore as replacing the plumbing, and we will do that sort of thing, as an analogy. It’s a gross simplification, but it’s one way to say that. There’s a lot of good still in that foundation that you wouldn’t get rid of, and we don’t. We look to advance in the areas that support our game design."

The lighting system has been a big point of interest for Treyarch in Black Ops 2, and the team have the added constraint of trying to ensure that the game will run on consoles at 60 frames per second.

"Engines, each time they get touched, they change. The creators alter them; they don’t modify what they don’t need to, and then they alter what they need to. You can’t make a competitive product if you’re not upgrading that engine along the way," he added.

Black Ops 2 will be set in a future full of X-Ray sniper rifles. Find out more in our Black Ops 2 preview.

Elder Scrolls Online, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Company of Heroes 2 were all announced this week. With almost too much information to take in, we keep our brains intact by talking about what we know and our highest hopes and darkest fears for each. We also toss in some chatter on Tera and The Walking Dead, which both launched this week, along with other minor news of mystery.

PC Gamer US Podcast 315: Many arrows, many knees

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Evan mentioned this in his Black Ops 2 preview, but we thought it was worth highlighting.

Treyarch have been motion capturing horses ridden by men with toy AK-47s. You can see the results of the tech in their recent trailer, which is embedded below. Read on for a larger image of the horse and rider, along with a few screenshots of some in-game horse action, grabbed for your convenience.

Our initial verdict? Excellent equine rendering. Whether it's up to the high standards set by the probably-never-coming-to-PC Red Dead Redemption is yet to be confirmed. Which animal would you most like to motion capture?

Black Ops 2 will utilise the power of DX 11 on PC. As reported on One of Swords, Treyarch’s director of online highlighted the graphical upgrades during the recent Black Ops 2 reveal presentation. Despite the technical upgrades, getting the upcoming FPS to run at a 60 frames per second on all platforms is still high on Treyarch's priority list.

Dan showed off the developer's mixture of "tech and technique" during a walkthrough of a level set on Yemen's Socotra Island. HDR lighting, bounce lighting, self shadowing and reveal mapping will all feature. They sound pretty. Treyarch showed off the new features next to footage of the first Black Ops, making it look a bit crummy by comparison.

Expect more identifiable landmarks within multiplayer maps too. Treyarch want to make it as easy as possible for your squad mates to identify your location, promoting more co-ordinated teamplay.

We'll have more on Black Ops 2 soon. Until then, check out the Black Ops 2 Reveal trailer and our Black Ops 2 preview. Evan also got a chance to grill Treyarch with hard questions after the presentation.