The removal of "Call of Duty" from the title of Infinity Ward's latest shooter "Modern Warfare 2" means that around half as many gamers will recognize and anticipate the game, according to an OTX survey reported on by Gamasutra.

OTX uses a representative sample of US gamers to track awareness of upcoming titles. As of May, 40% of those gamers were aware of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. After Activision dropped "Call of Duty" from the official title of the game, OTX followed suit in the survey, leading the awareness to hit a low of 20%.

"In other words, the Call of Duty brand association essentially doubles the awareness for the game," said OTX analyst Nick Williams. "That is quite a remarkable statistic."

Despite confusion over the rebranding, Williams notes that the game is still posting the highest level of "Pre-Order Intent" amongst gamers.

"Even without the Call of Duty association, it is still perceived as a must have title," he added.

Why did they do that?

Still COD6 to me. Easier to say also.