Hugo Beyer has worked on some major titles over the years (Beatles Rock Band, Anno 1404), including some still unreleased ones (Doom 4, Aliens: Colonial Marines), at a variety of studios (Terminal Reality, Liquid Development). What stands out to us, however is his current work with Nerve Software on what he refers to as "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2," as seen on his public LinkedIn page.

"But who is Nerve Software?" you're probably wondering. We were too! It turns out, Nerve has done a bunch of contract work for Activision in the past, including Treyarch-developed James Bond title Quantum of Solace, as well as ... Call of Duty: Black Ops (the first one).

So, there's one more lead in the "Activision and Treyarch are probably gonna release Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 this year" news cycle. Between domain registrations and reported retailer listings in Europe, we're thinking an announcement can't be too far off. Activision and Nerve Software had yet to respond to request for comment as of publishing.

Posted: Feb 17, 2012 3:14 pm

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/17/treyarch-contract-art-studio-employee-lists-black-ops-2-among/