Activision

Video Games’ Team Coco Moment

Billions of dollars? Got it. “Astonishing arrogance and unbridled greed“? Alleged. Video games are so close to being Hollywood, that we must celebrate a breakthrough: A possibly boring contract dispute that could be as juicy as Leno vs. Conan. We’ve got an executive that the Internet fans love to hate We’ve got not one, but…

Rumor: Infinity Ward Had Been Courting EA, Other Publishers

You’ve read the lawsuit filed by Infinity Ward’s former bosses, now check out a supposed internal Activision memo, which alleges that Call of Duty creators Vince Zampella and Jason West had been flirting with, of all people, Electronic Arts. The memo, obtained by G4, says that Activision is currently, as part of its own investigations,…

Activision “Disappointed” By Infinity Ward Founders’ “Meritless” Lawsuit

The world’s biggest video game publisher doesn’t take allegations of “Orwellian” investigations and unfair dismissals in silence. Activision has responded to the lawsuit filed by Jason West and Vince Zampella, the ousted former heads of Modern Warfare 2-maker Infinity Ward. “Activision is disappointed that Mr. Zampella and Mr. West have chosen to file a lawsuit,…

Ex-Infinity Ward Heads Claim “Orwellian” Moves By Activision

The lawsuit filed against Activision by two ex-Infinity Ward leads alleges that the publisher of its Modern Warfare games carried out an “Orwellian,” “pre-ordained” investigation designed to “manufacture a basis to fire” them in order to avoid paying them bonuses. That suit, filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court on March 3, was filed by…

Ousted Infinity Ward Founders’ Lawsuit Against Activision (The Court Documents)

Read the 16-page complaint filed by the founders of Modern Warfare 2 development studio Infinity Ward against Activision, the company that ousted them on Monday. Jason West and Vince Zampella, dismissed by Activision for “insubordination” sued. Lots of details here.

Infinity Ward Founders Suing Activision Over Unpaid Royalties

Jason West and Vince Zampella, the men at the centre of this week’s drama at Call of Duty developers Infinity Ward, have filed suit against Activision over claims they are owed “substantial royalty payments”. “Activision has refused to honor the terms of its agreements and is intentionally flouting the fundamental public policy of this State…

Where To Next For Call Of Duty?

The writing is on the wall. With Infinity Ward’s leadership removed, and Activision announcing a raft of new titles, the market is about to be saturated with Call of Duty games. So we figured we’d lend a hand. Rather than simply release an endless stream of World War 2 games, which is what ruined Medal…

Infinity Ward Still “Central To Call Of Duty’s Future”

While something rotten has definitely gone down between publishers Activision and the bossmen of Call of Duty developers Infinity Ward, it seems the studio itself is still a key part of the franchise moving forward. An internal memo distributed to members of Infinity Ward earlier today says that while the “brains” of the operation, Vince…

Activision’s New Plans For Call of Duty Include New Developer, New Genres

Publisher Activision announced today new “strategic plans” for the Call of Duty franchise, announcing a new developer for the shooter franchise and confirming the departure of key Infinity Ward staffers. Activision announced it will form a “dedicated [Call of Duty] business unit that will bring together its various new brand initiatives with focused, dedicated resources…

Infinity Ward Vs. Activision: The Battle For Creative Direction

Simmering problems between Activision and Modern Warfare 2 development studio Infinity Ward — involving the creative direction of the Call of Duty series — may have come to a head with yesterday’s dismissal of IW’s two studio heads. The reasons for the dismissal of Jason West and Vince Zampella, the top two men at Infinity…

Guess Which Three Games Help Keep Activision Afloat

Activision is a giant company with a small problem: Most of their revenue comes from three video games. Buried in Activision’s annual report for Fiscal Year 2009, the same one that had news of a major shake-up at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward, were some interesting numbers. “A significant portion of our…

Report: Modern Warfare Dev Head Leaves Company

According to his Linkedin page, CEO and Studio Head of Infinity Ward Vince Zampella has parted ways with the Call of Duty developer, as the strange goings-on at the development studio continue. Keen-eyed Kotaku reader Sam passed along a link to Zampella’s Linkedin page this morning, showing that the employment status had changed to TBD…

Get Your Blur Beta Codes Here

Due out this spring for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, Blur is a like Project Gotham Racing meets Mario Kart… if they two had a baby in the 70s And we’re giving out spots for the March 8 beta for the flashy racer right here, right now. But first, a couple of very important…

Scandal Hits Call Of Duty Devs: What We Know [Update]

While most of you slept, drama struck Infinity Ward, the creators of the Call of Duty series, with allegations of “insubordination” from publishers Activision and the rumoured departure of the studio’s two top men. This post will be updated throughout the day. The news first hit yesterday afternoon, when G4 reported that IW heads Vince…

Activision Cites Infinity Ward “Insubordination”

Jason West and Vince Zampella, two lead developers at Infinity Ward, met with Activision earlier today. Then they seemed to disappear and “bouncer-types” showed up at the studio. This Activision filing might explain why. “The Company is concluding an internal human resources inquiry into breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at Infinity…

Déjà Vu Surrounds Infinity Ward Rumors

Strange, hazy things are happening at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward. This wouldn’t be the first time for the studio. In 2002, nearly a dozen developers walked out of Tulsa-based studio 2015, the team behind the PC game Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Rumor has it that the developers did not want…

Report: Strange Things Are Afoot At Infinity Ward; President Ousted?

Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward is now home to a very strange, currently very unclear story, as G4 reports that security guards have stormed the developer, with studio heads currently missing in action. While that all sounds like scary stuff, there’s very little in the way of actual detail here. Infinity Ward leads Vince…

Activision Terminates Fan-Made King’s Quest Extension

The team of King’s Quest enthusiasts who had, since 2002, been working on an unofficial continuation of the seminal adventure game, have complied with a demand by Activision to cease all development of their game. The Silver Lining has a long and unusual history, even for fan-built games. The final official installment of King’s Quest…

Blur Xbox 360 Beta Begins Monday

Plenty of Fileplanet subscribers tipped us to a solicitation that went out overnight, inviting them to “exclusive access into a highly classified Xbox 360 beta event!” that begins March 8. Those who have signed up tell us it is for Blur. This barely qualifies as a rumor. Earlier this month Activision CEO Mike Griffith announced…

Transformers: War For Cybertron Preview: A World Without Michael Bay’s Robots

No humans. No Michael Bay. Two campaigns. Three-player online (only) drop-in/drop-out co-op Transformers with a link to the past and a Gears of War amount of gunfire. Happier? Last week, the developers of Transformers: War For Cybertron began the live demo of their summer game with an audacious claim. “The goal was not to make…