Activision has rubbished rumours that Infinity Ward has moved to take control of the entire Call of Duty series.

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

Rumours spiralled from an ex-Activision Underground employee who claimed that Infinity Ward had prompted a contract renegotiation in an effort to become the sole developer of Call of Duty games.

This unnamed source also revealed that Activision Underground was making a third-person Call of Duty spin-off, but had to stop work as a result of the renegotiation, which promptly led to studio closure.

Call of Duty 4 was released late last year but still commands a place among the top 10 in the UK All Formats weekly chart.

The game has sold over 9 million copies across PS3, 360 and PC formats around the world.

Its freshly released Call of Duty 4 Variety Map Pack also went on to set a new record for the most downloaded piece of paid-for content on Xbox Live, serving over one million people in just nine days.