Activision Announces Beachhead Studios

The new division will entirely focus on creating a new digital platform and services for the Call of Duty franchise.

Announced in Activision's conference call this afternoon, this new studio is expected to follow in the massively successful footsteps of Blizzard's Battle.net service. With the high profit margins enjoyed by direct digital distribution, you can bet that Activision is drooling at the thought of bringing the huge Call of Duty audience over to that model.

Is this the first step toward the long-rumored pay-for-play Call of Duty online mode? Activision hasn't said yet, but statements about how Beachhead will be creating "special services" for Call of Duty are easy to read as such.