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Modern Warfare Developer Sees More Key Departures Today
Call of Duty creators and Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward shrinks again today, as more key talent behind the billion first-person shooter franchise jumps ship. Sources close to the studio tell Kotaku of four new departures from the troubled developer. A pair of Modern Warfare 2’s lead designers, Steve Fukuda and Zied Reike, are said…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 13, 2010 -
Modern Warfare Team Loses Two More Veterans [Update]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward is a little bit smaller today, as two more longtime employees have left the embattled studio. Veteran programmer Jon Shiring and designer Mackey McCandlish have parted ways with the home of Modern Warfare. Shiring announced his resignation from the Encino-based Infinity Ward via Twitter, as spotted by…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 12, 2010 -
Modern Warfare Publisher Unruffled By New Competitor
The new development studio formed by ousted Modern Warfare creators and its agreement with EA Partners comes as “no surprise” to Activision, flaunting Infinity Ward’s proven talent in a statement to Kotaku. Former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella’s conflict with Call of Duty publisher Activision is reaching legendary proportions, with accusations of…
By Mike Fahey Published April 12, 2010 -
Ousted Modern Warfare 2 Creators Respawn, Sign With Former Rivals
The drama involving the creators of one of the biggest franchises in gaming continues as Jason West and Vince Zampella, the fired former lead creators of Modern Warfare 2, have formed a new company, Respawn Entertainment. EA, their formal rival, is backing. [UPDATE: Check out Kotaku’s interview with West and Zampella about Respawn Entertainment.] The…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 12, 2010 -
Call Of Duty: Battle Of The Activision Logo [Update]
The courtroom drama unfolding over the Call of Duty franchise is in many ways big, and important, and heavy, but it’s not entirely without petty crap. Take Modern Warfare 2’s use (or, not) of the Activision logo, for example. Seems that while a wrangle was going on behind the scenes prior to Modern Warfare 2’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 12, 2010 -
Modern Warfare 3 Being Held Up By Legal Confrontation
The legal stoush between publishers Activision and former Infinity Ward bosses Jason West and Vince Zampella isn’t just giving us all some entertaining reading. It’s also holding up development of Modern Warfare 3. The court documents surrounding the case, released earlier today, show that one of Activision’s main complaints is that West and Zampella’s attempts…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 10, 2010 -
Modern Legal Warfare Court Documents Got That Boom Boom Pow
We know court documents aren’t generally very entertaining, but the Activision Cross-Complaint against Infinity Ward’s West and Zampella is so three-thousand and eight, while others are two-thousand and late. Yes, this very well might be the only video game lawsuit court document containing a quote from a Black-Eyed Peas song, and for that, we are…
By Mike Fahey Published April 9, 2010 -
Crysis 2 Writer on Modern Warfare 2 Story: ‘Jesus, What Have You Been Doing?’
In November, British sci-fi author Richard Morgan said he was hired by Electronic Arts to write stories for three upcoming titles. Today, EA revealed one of them to be Crysis 2. Morgan took the occasion to rip Modern Warfare 2 “I thought Modern Warfare 2 was an immense disappointment,” Morgan told CVG. “It was a…
By Owen Good Published April 9, 2010 -
Axed Call Of Duty Creators Return Fire At Activision, Plan To Reveal ‘Creative Future’ Soon
Mega-publisher Activision filed its counter-suit against two former top Modern Warfare game developers today, claiming that the pair purposely delayed Modern Warfare 3 and had designs to “steal the [Infinity Ward] studio.” What does the other side have to say? The attorney representing Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella call Activision’s allegations “false…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 9, 2010 -
The Biggest Break Up In Video Game History
Intrigue, backstabbing, secret messages and double agents: Reading the world’s largest game publisher’s counter-suit against the top people in charge of creating one of the biggest video game franchise in history is like dropping into one of their Modern Warfare video games. Told from the perspective of Activision, the publisher didn’t take lightly the firing…
By Brian Crecente Published April 9, 2010 -
Modern Warfare Publisher Had “Good Reason” To Fire Top Modern Warfare Makers
If you play Modern Warfare 2, you just might be busy racking another kill. But the people who made the game are in another round of their own combat. Activision, the game’s publisher, tells Kotaku this battle was necessary. On the heels of filing a lawsuit accusing Jason West and Vince Zampella, the recently-fired former…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 9, 2010 -
Ousted Modern Warfare 2 Makers Counter-sued By Activision
A little more than a month after the two top men behind Modern Warfare 2 were fired by their publisher and sued because of it — that publisher, Activision, is suing back, the Los Angeles Times reported today. The paper reports details of an Activision lawsuit against former Infinity Ward bosses Jason West and Vince…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 9, 2010 -
Infection Vs. Resurrection: The New Science of the Zombie
Where once they shuffled, now they run. Initially born of forbidden voodoo rituals or the sign of a religious apocalypse, for the past decade zombies have slowly metamorphosed into the by-products of something else entirely. Science now, not the supernatural, is most often to blame when loved-ones become something less than human and begin to…
By Brian Crecente Published April 9, 2010 -
Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package Arrives for PS3, PC in Early May
Modern Warfare 2‘s five-map, fifteen-dollar “Stimulus Package” will arrive for both PS3 and PC in North America on May 4, the game’s studio just said via Twitter. Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling said Australia and Europe gets the PS3 version of the downloadable content on May 5. The PC release date of May 4 is global.…
By Owen Good Published April 8, 2010 -
Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack Pricing Doesn’t Bother 2.5 Million Xbox 360 Owners
Activision and Microsoft are exploding with joy over the performance of the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 “Stimulus Package” map pack, proclaiming today that the downloadable add-on “shattered Xbox LIVE records” to the tune of 2.5 million sold. One million of those purchases and downloads occurred within the first 24 hours, according to…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 7, 2010 -
Modern Warfare 2 Goes Free On Steam This Weekend Only
Want to see what all that Modern Warfare 2 fuss is about, PC gamers? Then play the game’s multiplayer mode for free this weekend, courtesy of Activision and Valve’s Steam service. That “weekend” starts a little early, as the free Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer action starts Thursday, April 8. You can pre-load…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 7, 2010 -
Transformers Trailer: Be All You Can Be
While the upcoming Transformers: War for Cybertron lets you play as actual Transformers, its multiplayer mode also lets you create your own Autobot or Decepticon and, as my people would say, get amongst it. Sadly, the customisation options seem to extend to “pick a team” then “pick a hue” (hopefully there’s more to come later),…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 7, 2010 -
Transformers On Wii Warrants A Name Change, Apparently
Systems like the PS3 and Xbox 360 will be getting a good-looking Transformers game soon called “War For Cybertron”. That same game is headed for the Wii, but when it hits Nintendo’s console, the name won’t be so combative. No, when the game’s released on Wii, it’ll be called “Transformers: Cybertron Adventures”. It’s the same…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 7, 2010 -
Do You Recognize This War For Cybertron Preorder Bonus?
Transformers: War for Cybertron is all about exploring the original Cybertronian Wars through the eyes of reimagined first generation Transformers. Then who the hell is this Amazon preorder-exclusive multiplayer character? As we’ve mentioned previously, Gamestop customers who preorder War for Cybertron will score a code to unlock cold, emotionless Shockwave for multiplayer play. Now Activision…
By Mike Fahey Published April 6, 2010 -
Mystery Mailings Point To Radioactive TV Channel, Call of Duty Clues?
A mysterious USB card loaded with strange sounds, a brown envelope sent with no return address, a simple text file: That’s right, it’s time for another marketing push in the guise of a alternative reality game. Yesterday we received a plain black USB drive tucked away in a envelope. On the drive was this sound…
By Brian Crecente Published April 6, 2010