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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.
By Stephen Totilo Published March 4, 2010 -
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…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 4, 2010 -
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…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 3, 2010 -
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…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 3, 2010 -
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…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 2, 2010 -
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…
By Stephen Totilo Published March 2, 2010 -
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…
By Brian Crecente Published March 2, 2010 -
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…
By Mike Fahey Published March 2, 2010 -
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…
By Brian Crecente Published March 2, 2010 -
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…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 2, 2010 -
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…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2010 -
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…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2010 -
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…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 1, 2010 -
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…
By Owen Good Published February 28, 2010 -
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…
By Owen Good Published February 27, 2010 -
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…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 26, 2010 -
First Look At Transformers: War For Cybertron Gameplay Footage
Cutscenes are nice and all, but gameplay is what we want to see. And gameplay is what we will see! Set before the Transformers had contact with Earth, multi-platform title War For Cybertron allows players to partake in the battle between Autobots and Decepticons. The game is being developed by High Moon Studios, best known…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010 -
Reviews
Call of Duty: World At War: Zombies Verrückt Micro-Review: Solo Fun
No longer limited to wandering the rooms of an abandoned building, the zombies of the Verrückt zombie asylum add-on pack for iPhone’s Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies are trying to break their way into the halls of an insane asylum. The basic premise of this $5 in-game purchase is the same – kill…
By Brian Crecente Published February 25, 2010 -
Blur Gets All Twittery
Bizarre Creations’ Blur is hopping on the Twitter bandwagon, giving players the ability to send customized Tweets while playing through the developer’s latest racing title. Bizarre Creations would have us believe that Blur is the future of video game racing, so of course it needs to be tied together with the future of talking about…
By Mike Fahey Published February 24, 2010 -
The Activision-Wants-Harmonix Theory
Over at the blog Dubious Quality, Bill Harris has been spotting some dots and trying to connect them. The picture he’s got is of Activision making a play for MTV-owned Rock Band studio Harmonix, something that is pure speculation. Harris notes recent comments from an MTV person saying the Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero format…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 23, 2010