Activision Publishing boss Eric Hirshberg has spoken out about the collaborative working relationship of Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games on Modern Warfare 3, saying that 2011’s biggest video game has gotten better overall because the two studios have overcome “healthy creative tensions”.

Infinity Ward was sole proprietor of the Modern Warfare series until the dramatic and public firings of studio bosses Jason West and Vince Zampella in 2010. Speaking to Industry Gamers, Hirshberg commended Infinity Ward as it “welcomed in [Sledgehammer Games] and that was probably a decision born out of necessity – nobody probably would have designed it that way proactively, but because they were going through a rebuilding right in the middle of this development, they welcomed a pretty high octane partner into their creative process.”

How does Sledgehammer feel about Infinity Ward, then? “Sledgehammer truly has treated them as partners, and the game is a reflection of a combined vision between those two studios. And to my great delight it is a one plus one equals three situation. The game has gotten better because of these two very strong, creative forces working together,” said Hirshberg.

Hirschberg also clarified that, despite key staff leaving Infinity Ward over the West and Zampella firings, many of the original Modern Warfare 2 team is still at the studio. “A lot of the guys working on Modern Warfare 3 are the same guys who worked on Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare,” he said. “A lot of them are Infinity Ward sort of lifers and have been there from the beginning.”

“I only got to work with the new Infinity Ward, and all I can tell you is while they went through a huge transition, and while there was a lot of rebuilding that had to happen and they had to bring in some new talent to replace some of the people that had left, this is one of the most dazzlingly creative group of people I’ve ever met in my life,” Hirshberg concluded.

Earlier this week Hirshberg said that Activision’s new social platform Call of Duty: Elite is “not ready to reveal everything”.

VideoGamer.com has detailed Modern Warfare 3’s Manhattan and London levels.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be released for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on November 8.