Embattled Call of Duty and Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward lost a good portion of its top tier talent this year following the well publicized firings of its founders. But Activision believes the developer's "very specific culture" can be rebuilt.
Activision executive VP David Stohl, head of the mega-publisher's worldwide studios, tells Develop that the gutted developer that he is "one hundred per cent confident that the studio will come back to what it was," in part thanks to the talent the Encino-based studio has been attracting.
"I'm not going to sit here and say no good talent left the studio, because obviously a lot of good talent did," Stohl admits. "But a lot of people who are really passionate about their job are still there. There's a development philosophy that remains intact, and the studio is attracting amazing new talent.
"Ultimately, Infinity Ward will rise from the ashes."
Stohl says it will support the hard hit studios, but that "we don't want to tamper with that group of people."
Activision execs say that what remains of Infinity Ward is working on its next title and continuing to move forward with Call of Duty.
Activision: Playing Tough [Develop]