Beachhead features central to next Call of Duty

Activision has said that features and services from its new Call of Duty division, Beachhead, will be central to a new console and PC game released this autumn.

Beachhead as a platform was announced earlier this year and is an expansion of online play, adding more advanced features to the most popular console multiplayer game.

"This platform will include a suite of services and content plan that will unite and ignite the community like never before. The platform will support in-game integration and bring online experiences and console play together for the first time," said Activision's Eric Hirshberg in a call to investors.

"It's been in development for almost two years and we're very excited about the increased value and excitement we can bring to our community through this platform."

Both Hirshberg and CEO Robert Kotick emphasised that Beachhead features will not replace online services already in play, and the company will not charge for anything currently offered for free - although it does plan to monetise elements of Beachhead.

Reports are indicating that the next Call of Duty game, which follows massive worldwide hits Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2, will release on November 8 and is codenamed Project Colossus.

Last night Activision boasted that the game would benefit from "the largest integrated marketing and retail campaign we have every invested."