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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 -
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 -
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 -
It Would Be Like Call Of Duty, But You Would Only Control A Leg
Would you play a multiplayer video game in which you only controlled one limb of a character, while your friends controlled the others? What if, I asked a developer of a Transformers game, it was Devastator’s leg? Don’t expect to play the role of Scrapper or Mixmaster any time soon. While multiplayer gaming is huge…
By Stephen Totilo Published March 1, 2010 -
Where Have All The Zombies Gone?
The Infected. Los Ganados. Majini. Parasite hosts. Some of the biggest “zombie” games in recent years don’t feature the undead. Why can’t we call a spade a spade, burying it in the neck of a good old-fashioned undead zombie? This is a conversation we’ve been having fairly often lately at Kotaku Tower, mainly due to…
By Mike Fahey Published February 26, 2010 -
Why We Play Games, And Why We Grumble About Them
Sometimes, one gamer’s flaw is another’s feature. Even the highest-rated games aren’t always perfect – but what determines the flaws we’ll tolerate versus the ones we can’t forgive? It all depends on why you play games. Some of our best-loved gaming experiences, from God Hand to Psychonauts, earn adoration for the strength of their ideas…
Leigh Alexander Published February 25, 2010 -
Rumor: Next Call Of Duty Is A Cold War Game
Those rumours that Treyarch’s next Call of Duty game is set in Vietnam? They might only be partially correct, if a supposed casting call for actors for the game is anything to go by. The call, spotted by VG247, is looking for four actors to provide a mixture of voice work, facial capture and full-body…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 19, 2010 -
Activision Has Call of Duty 7 Loaded For Holiday
Given the “disproportionate contribution” that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 provided to Activision Blizzard’s well-padded bottom line, it won’t come as a surprise that the next Call of Duty game is coming this holiday season. See? You’re not surprised. Activision Blizzard confirmed its plans to “continue annualizing” the first-person shooter franchise with the still-unnamed…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 10, 2010 -
WW2 Games Aren’t Dead, They Just Need New Digs
As has been established by science, there are over 100 recent video games set during the Second World War. Yet for a war that literally spanned the globe, we sure do spend a lot of time in, and above, France. John Constantine over at MTV has written a piece today on alternative locations for WW2…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 8, 2009 -
EA Chief Talks War: Battlefield, Medal Of Honor And Getting Ahead Of Activision
Just hours before EA officially announced the long-rumored return of its Medal of Honor franchise, the company’s chief executive told Kotaku his battle plan for EA’s war-game competition against Call of Duty. He wants Modern Warfare’s spot. “I’m not saying it’s going to happen tomorrow, but in the way that Activision sort of alternates sequels…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 2, 2009 -
Call of Duty Classic Answered On XBLA This Week
Modern Warfare 2 players growing bored with today’s killing technology can get their bloodlust fix in the World War II fashion this week, as Call of Duty: Classic comes to Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday. European Xbox Community Manager Graeme “AceyBongos” Boyd says that the remake of the original Call of Duty will set Xbox…
By Michael McWhertor Published November 30, 2009 -
$3 Billion Worth Of Call Of Duty Sold
Activision somehow managed to shake off its turkey-induced coma this morning to announce that the Call of Duty franchise has generated more than $3 billion in sales. With Modern Warfare 2 pulling in $550 million in sales within the first five days of release, the $3 billion certainly makes sense. From the original Call of…
By Mike Fahey Published November 27, 2009 -
Report: Activision Sets Up Third Call Of Duty Team
Having two teams dedicated to annual output of Activision’s Call of Duty franchise may not be enough for the publisher. A report from the LA Times says that a third team is now tasked with Call of Duty development duties. While the news outlet doesn’t name the studio responsible for providing gamers with even more…
By Michael McWhertor Published November 18, 2009 -
Activision Cut MW2 Airport Scene For Russia
Activision confirms that the controversial “No Russian” mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 doesn’t appear in the Russian version of the game, as they nip rumors of Russian bans in the bud. The “No Russian” scene in Modern Warfare 2 has players working undercover with a terrorist organization as they open fire on…
By Mike Fahey Published November 17, 2009