While interest in the Call of Duty franchise remains high, many of the developers that worked on the original games have since left Activision. Many former members of Infinity Ward, the studio that worked on the incredibly successful Modern Warfare games, are heading to court over unpaid bonuses for the two games.

Activision has already paid $42 million to former members of Infinity Ward, but there's a lot more at stake. Ultimately, what caused the huge rift between Infinity Ward execs Jason West and Vince Zampella and Activision? The two say that the team's desire to work on a game other than Modern Warfare 3 made an already tense relationship even worse.

Read more: Activision sacrificed new IP for more Call of Duty »

Not one of Call of Duty's two million Elite subscribers? While paid members have been getting monthly content drops, there are still many players that want to buy their DLC piecemeal. That's where the "Content Collections" come in.

Read more: Seven pieces of content for $15 »

NovaLogic, the studio behind Delta Force, has filed an injunction and is seeking damages against Activision over the use of a Delta Force logo in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The complaint alleges that Activision ignored multiple warnings regarding the use of NovaLogic's trademark in the game.

Read more: NovaLogic claims 'millions of dollars, possibly more' »

Hey you! Don't own a PS3 and one of the best-selling games of all time? Sony has announced a brand new SKU for retail: the "Limited Edition PS3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Bundle." The $299 package includes a 320GB PS3 system and a copy of Modern Warfare 3. Given a 320GB system normally costs $299 by itself, it's like getting the game for free.

Read more: Not as good as Xbox 360's MW3 bundle »

Activision's Call of Duty Elite subscription service now has two million paying members, growing by 33% since the end of January. With a $50 price tag, Activision has managed to squeeze out $100 million in additional revenue from Call of Duty players.

Read more: Only 20% of Elite members pay »

With all the hubbub over Call of Duty's "season of content" for Modern Warfare 3, it's nice to see Activision throw non-paying fans a bone with some free DLC. Coming May 15th is the new Face Off mode--created specifically for 1v1 and 2v2 battles. Best of all, two Face Off maps--Aground and Erosion--will be free to all Xbox 360 players, not just Call of Duty Elite members.

Read more: Also coming to PS3 »

With each successive annual installment of Call of Duty, naysayers crawl out of the woodwork to declare that, though sales increase year after year, the series has peaked and will surely fail this time. Early indications are that Call of Duty: Black Ops II will also do just fine, as retailer Amazon is reporting Blops 2 is so far its most pre-ordered game of all time.

Read more: 30% more than MW3, 10 times original Cod Blops »

The official reveal of the next Call of Duty game was supposed to happen during the NBA playoffs tonight, but someone at Activision pulled the switch a little early to confirm that yes, it is indeed Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 from Treyarch. And yes, it is jumping into the near-future.

Read more: A "21st Century Cold War" »

PC gamers have long felt like second-class citizens in the Call of Duty ecosystem. However, Modern Warfare 3 has proven those fears wrong--they're actually third class citizens. Neither paid or free forms of the Call of Duty Elite service are available for PC players--despite reassurances. And none of the post-release content has yet to arrive on PC.

Well, that finally changes next month, with the release of the first "Content Collection" on PC.

Read more: Lengthy delay for PC updates »

Though a new Call of Duty is due to be announced next week, and will doubtless launch in November, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is hanging tough. Activision's hosting another free multiplayer weekend on Steam from Thursday, and you can start pre-loading now.

Read more: New Call of Duty speculation »

Activision has started to tease the next Call of Duty, with word that an official announcement is coming May 1. But already, the company has been dropping clues, such as a new video that hints at a future setting with more sophisticated weaponry.

Watch: A look at a future-weapon »

This year's entry to the Call of Duty franchise will be unveiled on May 1st during the NBA playoffs on TNT, Activision has revealed via the franchise's official website. While unconfirmed, it's likely that Treyarch is working on this year's iteration, given the pattern of alternating development duties established in 2007 with Call of Duty 3.

This will be the ninth main entry in the Call of Duty franchise.

Read more: Black Ops 2 seems more likely »

Activision Blizzard is being sued by Worlds Inc., for violating a patent on virtual worlds. The firm claims that games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft violate its patent, and are requesting "fair compensation."

Read more: Patent covers 'enabling users to interact in a virtual space' »

Yet another explosive Resident Evil 6 trailer has been unleashed by Capcom, filled with tons of new story details. For example: who is Wesker Junior? Capcom also announced Lost Planet 3. Given the series' success, that's not a surprise--but the developer is. Finally, we get a peak at the two new maps hitting Modern Warfare 3.

Check out today's episode of Shacknews Daily.

Watch: Shacknews Daily: April 10, 2012 »

Like clockwork, Call of Duty Elite members can expect their monthly Modern Warfare 3 DLC tomorrow. As promised, April's content drop consists of two maps: Sanctuary & Foundation. It will be available to paid Call of Duty Elite members on Xbox Live tomorrow, and should be available to paying Elite members on PS3 next month. Non-Elite members can expect this DLC to drop in a general "Content Collection" later in the year--first on Xbox Live, of course.

See: Sneak peak at a new map »