After several days of rumour and speculation, Activision has formally announced what is certain to be among the most closely watched releases of 2011. If the brief teaser trailer released today is any guide, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will depict a conflict global in scale. The second game in the Modern Warfare subseries dispensed with any pretence at subtlety and even at this early stage, it appears that the third will continue in much the same vein. As is customary in the Call of Duty series, players will take on variety of roles and participate in multiple theatres of war.

It will be the first project to emerge from Infinity Ward since founders Jason West and Vince Zampella were fired by parent Company Activision in March 2010. West and Zampella went on to form Respawn Entertainment, a venture that would soon attract a range of disenchanted Infinity Ward personnel. As reported by Kotaku, Activision has sought to offset the staff shortages at Infinity Ward by drafting other teams onto the project. Though Infinity Ward is said to be the primary developer of Modern Warfare 3, Activision stable mates Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software have also contributed to the project.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is scheduled for release on 360, PS3 and PC in November 2011.