Treyarch Head: New Engine not required to advance Black Ops 2 visuals

Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia has dismissed criticism of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's somewhat elderly engine.

Black Ops 2 will use of the same engine as several earlier entires in the Call of Duty franchise; it was first debuted in 2005 with Modern Warfare.

Despite this, Lamia told Activision community manager Dan Amrich's One of Swords column that he feels the game will make a significant leap thanks to extensive improvements made to that "foundation".

"People always ask me, 'Is this a new engine?' I liken it to people who live in an older house that has been remodeled," he said.

"Just because you're remodeling the house and it will look new or it will have a new kitchen, you don't tear out the foundation, or break out some of the framing.

"Engines, each time they get touched, they change. The creators alter them; they don't modify what they don't need to, and then they alter what they need to. You can't make a competitive product if you're not upgrading that engine along the way."

Lamia said that what people are really asking for is for Treyarch to "push" and that treyarch had considered using a new engine.

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