Jason West, a co-creator of Call of Duty and co-founder of video game studio Respawn Entertainment, has left the company he helped found, two sources have informed Kotaku. The departure was amicable.

Vince Zampella, one of the studio heads of Respawn Entertainment, says his team will "be" at E3 this year, presumably showing off whatever kind of game you make next after you make Call of Duty the biggest thing going.

The ugly court battle between Activision and its former employees has gotten even uglier.

The ongoing legal feud between publishers Activision and former employees Jason West and Vince Zampella, the creators of the Call of Duty franchise, took an interesting turn today when Activision coughed up over $40 million.

Publisher Activision took home a small victory in its longstanding legal battle against Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vincent Zampella earlier this week, convincing a Los Angeles judge to drop a fraud claim against it, according to a news report.

Denying request for summary judgment, the Los Angeles Superior Court gave Activision the green light to go to trial with its $400 million contract interference lawsuit against Electronic Arts over Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vince Zampella.

There are signs of life from Respawn Entertainment, the studio founded by ousted Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vince Zampella, as the developer's web site has gone live, including two teasers that will tell you next to nothing about its still unannounced game.

"Don't worry about it. It's impossible for you guys to get fired," Activision boss Bobby Kotick told Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella in 2008, according to a new cross-complaint filed today in a Los Angeles court.

Yesterday, Activision accused rival games giant EA of all sort of skullduggery while suing them for $400 million for allegedly trying to "hijack" the Call of Duty franchise. Today, EA fired back.

The ongoing legal tussle between Call of Duty: Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward and publishing giant Activision is full of intrigue, accusations, lawsuits, a mass exodus of key staffers from the studio behind the game and, now, allegations of sabotage. Updated with recent developments.

The nasty lawsuits between Call of Duty publisher Activision and the ousted lead creators of that hit series got nastier today with accusations that the president of rival EA was instrumental in trying to "hijack" the Call of Duty developers.

A California judge today set a trial date of May 23 for the lawsuit involving Activision and Infinity Ward founders Vince Zampella and Jason West.

Cross a few more names off of the Modern Warfare 2 credits as the departures continue from Activision studio Infinity Ward. [Updated with one more name]

A top Activision executive, speaking late this week after mass defections from Modern Warfare studio Infinity Ward eviscerated morale there, defended the company's treatment of its developers, saying they're paid better under Activision than anywhere else.

The mood at Infinity Ward, the studio behind 2009's biggest game, is terrible and corporate parent Activision is unsure how to fix it, a source close to the development studio tells Kotaku. Infinity Ward, they said, "will continue to crumble."

They say they don't even know what their next game will be yet. But the former lead men behind Modern Warfare 2 tell Kotaku that their new company, Respawn Entertainment, will make something big that won't be "exploited."

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.