Update: Eurogamer has received a statement from Activision on this matter.

A spokesperson for the publisher told Eurogamer it was a total fabrication, and that Treyarch and Infinity Ward would still alternately create installments in the shooter series.

So, there you have it sports fans. It seems as though, at least for the time being, that this rumor has been smashed.

Original story: The latest rumor from Next-Gen states that Infinity Ward might be the sole developer working on future Call of Duty titles. They claim this move will come after the release of Call of Duty 5, currently in development by Treyarch.

Next-Gen learned from an ex-Activision Underground employee on Monday that Infinity Ward, developer of November's CoD4, recently prompted a renegotiation of its contract with parent Activision so that the studio would be the sole developer of the FPS series.

As it is, Activision wanted to cash in on the success of the first two Call of Duty games and delegated another studio (Treyarch) to stagger their releases of the latest Call of Duty with those from Infinity Ward.

Next-Gen also goes on to state how this could also be tied in to the recent announcement of the closure of Activision Underground, a California based studio. This studio was in charge of creating the PS3 version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and a third-person, action title based on the Call of Duty series. What makes this important is the fact that Activision was possibly looking to release two Call of Duty titles within a year's time. They are now no longer able to do so.

Undoubtedly, the success of Call of Duty 4 might also play a key player in this potential contract renegotiation. We'll have more news on this as it pans out, assuming it pans out at all. Rumors, don't you just love them?