The next instalment in the Call of Duty franchise, after the release of Modern Warfare 3 has been and gone, could see a return to the battlegrounds of World War II, the game series' original focus.

Speaking exclusively to Pocket-lint, Robert Bowling, creative strategist for developer Infinity Ward, sees the potential for a new slice of WW2 action: "There’s so many great stories there that can still be told," he teased. "And to be told now with the technology that we have, to the level of detail that we can now attain, would be fantastic.

"Right now, though, we’re completely focused on Modern Warfare 3."

It also seems that the company would be keen to continue with the Modern Warfare strand too. Rumours have suggested that MW3 would conclude the trilogy, but Bowling was keen to dispel such thoughts: "This is definitely a pay-off for the characters and the momentum that this conflict has been building since Call of Duty 4 – so it’s definitely a pay-off for the investment that the fans have put in to this conflict, but I would never say that it’s the end of a trilogy," he said.

And when asked if, therefore, there's more to come he replied, "Potentially... we never know.”

Which can only be great news for the legions of Call of Duty fans out there. As is the prospect of being able to play Modern Warfare 2 in real life...

On 2 and 3 September 2011 in Los Angeles, Activision will be hosting Call of Duty XP, an event that aims to bring the COD experience to life. Tickets went on sale yesterday and are expected to sell out quickly, and rightly so if Bowling's enthusiasm is anything to go by: "We will be building, from scratch, a life-sized multiplayer map of MW2," he told us.

"We’re building the pit that you run through in MW2. And, we have a few other things that we haven’t announced. So, that’s going to be our first dive into putting people in the shoes of who they’re playing as to see how well they live up to it in real life, because, I don’t know if you know this, being in the military is really hard.

"It’s not as easy to run through the pit as people think it is," he added.

We're sure there'll be plenty giving it a go, though.

Will you be heading to Call of Duty XP? Do you think a return to WW2 is a good idea for the franchise? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below...