Ben Wanat's LinkedIn Reveals Sledgehammer Worked on Action RPG

Ben Wanat's LinkedIn résumé lists an "unannounced action RPG" developed at Sledgehammer Games between July 2019 and August 2025, revealing that the studio spent years building a mechanics-rich action-RPG with heavy worldbuilding. The entry credits extensive lore work, including cultures, languages, and in-game lore books, indicating a project with deep narrative and systems ambitions rather than a small experimental prototype.

The disclosure matters for Call of Duty fans and the broader community because Sledgehammer Games is one of Activision's primary COD houses. A multi-year push into action-RPG design would represent a major strategic detour from the studio's run-based, multiplayer-first development rhythm. That kind of pivot has implications for how resources, talent, and studio roadmaps are allocated inside a publisher whose calendar is heavily weighted toward Call of Duty production.

Specifics on the LinkedIn entry point to a long internal development lifecycle. The phrase mechanics-rich action-RPG suggests layered combat systems, progression, and possibly live-service or single-player ambitions, while the worldbuilding elements imply work on setting and lore that could support a standalone IP. Ben Wanat is listed as formerly creative director at Sledgehammer Games, and his departure combined with the absence of public updates on an announced title suggests the project may have been shelved or cancelled before going public or reaching greenlight.

For the community, the practical takeaways are tangible. Expect hiring shifts and resumed movement of designers and narrative staff across studios if the project did stall; watch Sledgehammer and Activision job listings for roles that match action-RPG skills rather than purely multiplayer expertise. Fans tracking studio diversification should treat this as an internal résumé disclosure and rumor-level information rather than a formal studio announcement. No official release, trailer, or developer statement has been published to confirm scope, platform, or status.

The larger context is familiar: Activision's business model has prioritized Call of Duty as a flagship revenue engine, making lengthy detours into new genres risky for studios under that roof. If Sledgehammer seriously invested in an action-RPG for six years, that investment speaks to developer ambition and to the challenges of breaking out of franchise expectations. For now, monitor Sledgehammer's and Ben Wanat's public profiles for any formal updates. If the project reemerges, it could reshape career paths and open the door to a new AAA IP; if it remains shelved, the episode underscores how difficult it is for COD-focused studios to ship something radically different.