Infinity Ward: Studio Heads let go, new devs for CoD. Heads strike back!

Cao Cao

Cao Cao

CAGiversary!
Now that more information is surfacing, this deserves its own thread.

G4 - has the latest updates on this
1UP
Kotaku - West and Zampella's Legal Complaint

At first, there was the above G4 article, mentioning that an unnamed source told them that "bouncer-like" Security Guards invaded the Infinity Ward HQ, with no explanation given. Obviously, employees were scared and confused, especially since the higher-ups of IW were nowhere to be found. Later, studio head Jason West implied that he was now unemployed in his Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. The other studio head, Vince Zampella, also implied unemployment in his LinkedIn profile. [1up's unnamed source brought up an interesting point in their update. What's that saying? "Killing the chicken to keep the monkeys in line?"]

But it doesn't end there. G4 just updated the article with an SEC document filed by Activision (IW's owner), stating that they were conducting a "Human Resources investigation into 'breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at Infinity Ward.'"

BingeGamer posted some early background for this situation, but GamaSutra's Leigh Alexander provided a far more interesting analysis, offering theories connected to Activision's contract with IW. Kotaku's Stephen Totilo provided another analysis.

Activision just released an official statement via Kotaku relating to the matter somewhat, announcing that Activision will form a "dedicated Call of Duty business unit," with Treyarch releasing a Call of Duty title in 2010, and Sledgehammer Games developing a Call of Duty title set for 2011.

UPDATE: (Thanks for the link, caltab) former studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella have filed a lawsuit against Activision for Breach of Contract, alleging unpaid royalties and demanding the control to the Modern Warfare franchise. Royalties and control of MW were terms in IW's contract with Activision; West and Zampella are accusing Activision of using the "insubordination" investigation as a pretext for getting out of the contractual obligations.

Jason West and Vince Zampella File Lawsuit Against Activision

LOS ANGELES, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- O'Melveny & Myers LLP today filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court a lawsuit against Activision Publishing, Inc., on behalf of video game developers Jason West and Vince Zampella. West and Zampella developed two of the most successful videogames in history – Call of Duty and Modern Warfare – at the Infinity Ward studio, a company they co-founded in 2001. After its acquisition by Activision in November 2003, West and Zampella served as president/game director and CEO, respectively. Activision terminated their employment weeks before they were to be paid substantial royalty payments as part of their existing contracts for Modern Warfare 2.

"Activision has refused to honor the terms of its agreements and is intentionally flouting the fundamental public policy of this State (California) that employers must pay their employees what they have rightfully earned," said their attorney Robert Schwartz. "Instead of thanking, lauding, or just plain paying Jason and Vince for giving Activision the most successful entertainment product ever offered to the public, last month Activision hired lawyers to conduct a pretextual 'investigation' into unstated and unsubstantiated charges of 'insubordination' and 'breach of fiduciary duty,' which then became the grounds for their termination on Monday, March 1st."

"We were shocked by Activision's decision to terminate our contract," said West. "We poured our heart and soul into that company, building not only a world class development studio, but assembling a team we've been proud to work with for nearly a decade. We think the work we've done speaks for itself."

Zampella added, "After all we have given to Activision, we shouldn't have to sue to get paid."

Modern Warfare 2 is arguably one of the most successful games in history and together with Call of Duty, has generated more than $3 billion in sales for Activision. In addition, Activision seized control of the Infinity Ward studio, to which Activision had previously granted creative control over all Modern Warfare-branded games. The suit was filed to vindicate the rights of West and Zampella to be paid the compensation they have earned, as well as the contractual rights Activision granted to West and Zampella to control Modern Warfare-branded games.

The suit includes claims for breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, wrong termination in violation of public policy, and declaratory relief.
Click to expand...

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 around the world." It plans to expand the Call of Duty brand "with the same focus seen in its Blizzard Entertainment business unit" placing a focus on "high-margin digital online content and further the brand as the leading action entertainment franchise in new geographies, new genres and with new digital business models."

As previously announced, Activision will release a new Call of Duty game from series co-developer Treyarch, responsible for Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World At War, this fall. Developer Infinity Ward is still scheduled to release two downloadable map packs for Modern Warfare 2 this year.

In 2011, Activision will release another new Call of Duty game from Sledgehammer Games, the recently formed studio lead by Dead Space creative leads Glen A. Schofield and Michael Condrey. The title will "extend the franchise into the action-adventure genre."

The previously mentioned Call of Duty business unit will be led by Philip Earl, who currently runs Activision Publishing's Asia Pacific region. Activision Publishing's Steve Pearce, chief technology officer, and Steve Ackrich, head of production, will lead Infinity Ward on an interim basis. Former studios heads Jason West and Vince Zampella are no longer with Infinity Ward, officially.

"Activision doesn't comment on HR matters related to its studios," said reps when asked for comment about the departures.

Activision Publishing also announced that the company is "in discussions with a select number of partners to bring the franchise to Asia, one of the fastest growing regions for online multiplayer games in the world."
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More on this as it develops.

Tim Schafer, with his take on the matter
[quote name='Tim Schafer']Getting mad at Activision for this kind of thing is like getting mad at an ape for throwing feces. It's just how the beast communicates.[/quote]
 
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Wonder what happened...My guess would be either someone wanted more money or someone didn't want to be pigeonholed as "the call of duty guys". 'Course, you can never count out publicity stunt.
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']'Course, you can never count out publicity stunt.[/QUOTE]

The SEC filing from this morning effectively ruled out that scenario.
 
Looks like The Pro finally found out the true identity of Itz Lupo! He was working from inside Infinity Ward. I'd fire him, too! :)
 
What a bizarre and troublesome story. I wouldn't be surprised if some of this is Kotick flexing his corporate muscles after West and other IW heads didn't agree with Bobby's future plans for CoD (over saturation in general and subscription fees come to mind).

I feel bad for IW. They make Activision a massive mountain of cash and then this happens.

Edit: Also interesting that Bad Company 2 is coming out today (or maybe not) :lol:
 
[quote name='Fjordson']I feel bad for IW. They make Activision a massive mountain of cash and then this happens.[/QUOTE]

Who is shocked at this point? Bad things happen when you are under Activision - deserved or not.

Frankly, those two IW guys could have been snorting coke on the job, stealing money from Activision, and fucking Bobby Kotick's wife in the ass on an hourly basis, and I'd still be inclined to think Activision are the bad guys.
 
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I think those IW guys are about to get sued into oblivion and depending on whats been going on, those guys might heading to a jail cell.

What probably happened is that Activision called these guys in to fire them and they absolutely flipped out. And Activision had them removed from the building. Personally, I'm thinking embezzlement.

At the same time - perhaps they really did not want to make another CoD game saying that eventually they would run the franchise into the ground and people from their team would end up getting fired.
 
Nucking futs.

Still, grabbing the former heads of Infinity Ward will be of great advantage to any other game company looking to build a FPS with ready-made credibility. I wonder if any of their coworkers are going to jump ship and follow them.
 
[quote name='WrexManor']What probably happened is that Activision called these guys in to fire them and they absolutely flipped out. And Activision had them removed from the building. Personally, I'm thinking embezzlement. [/QUOTE]

ehlzz9.jpg
 
Enter Kotick:
http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/7...-To-Meet-With-Infinity-Ward-Momentarily-.html

The future of Infinity Ward might be determined in the next few hours.

I'm told by a source close to the studio that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick will address the development leads at Infinity Ward in a meeting in just a few minutes -- noon, to be exact.
It's unclear what the meeting will be about, but it is likely related to the apparent departure of Infinity Ward studio heads Vince Zampella and Jason West, as discovered earlier today.
After Kotick and company's meeting with the leads at Infinity Ward, there will be a second meeting addressing the studio as a whole. The details of that meeting are also unclear.

As soon as I have more details, I'll pass them on.
Click to expand...

A NeoGAF artist's depiction of the meeting:
forcechoke.jpg
 
Do I see real journalism going on here? I almost can't believe my own eyes. This isn't a marketing puff piece being regurgitated. Bravo!
 
Gamasutra's Leigh Alexander provided an interesting analysis of the situation:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27482/Analysis_Infinity_Wards_DoubleEdged_Sword.php

Analysis: Infinity Ward's Double-Edged Sword?
Every developer and every studio aims to be as globally successful as possible. With record-breaking hit titles comes acclaim, affluence, and often, special treatment from publishers in the form of favorable contracts.

For creating Grand Theft Auto franchise hits for Take-Two, Rockstar Games' top brass were able to negotiate a nearly unprecedented profit-sharing deal. Halo house Bungie earned its independence while still enjoying the benefits of a close relationship with Microsoft.

And Infinity Ward, creator of the billion-dollar Modern Warfare branch in Activision's Call of Duty franchise, gained the ability to develop a new IP when it signed its newest contract with the publisher in 2008.

But amid this week's apparent standoff between Infinity Ward and Activision -- one that multiple sources confirm has seen the ouster of the studio's co-founders -- the publisher is accusing the studio of breaching that contract.

Activision confirmed via an SEC filing that its allegations of "insubordination" and breach of contract will likely lead to litigation. All of the tension and drama today raises one question: Can making a record-breaking franchise become a double-edged sword?

Only top brass at Infinity Ward and Activision are privy to the facts and particulars of the contract between them. But numerous sources close to the situation have told Gamasutra there's been tension between ousted Infinity Ward co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella and Activision leadership for some months now.

The pair hasn't gained a reputation for being easy to work with -- and some sources have told us that they first fell out of favor with bombastic Activision CEO Bobby Kotick when they refused to allow Activision to check up on Modern Warfare 2 milestones.

Modern Warfare 2 broke retail records, and a third installment could perform even better. With its music genre declining, sources say Activision is eager to have Infinity Ward start on Modern Warfare 3. Infinity Ward, on the other hand, would rather first finish the new IP its contract allows.

Numerous sources with knowledge of the situation have speculated to Gamasutra that the contract dictates that only Infinity Ward may make games in the Modern Warfare arm of the Call of Duty franchise (other studios, like Activision's Treyarch, may develop Call of Duty titles, of course).

That means Activision can't put another studio to work on the the third installment -- sources say the choice would be newly-founded Sledgehammer Games -- any more than it can force Infinity Ward to work on it now.

Another source suggests that West and Zampella could have tried to demand a larger share of profits to begin Modern Warfare 3 on Activision's schedule instead of their own -- and that it was their aims to re-negotiate or add to the current contract that prompted Activision's ire.

Some media reports noting that Infinity Ward's royalties remain unpaid incorrectly tie this fact to today's situation: Sources confirm Activision routinely pays royalties at the end of the next quarter after which they were earned, which will begin next month.

The major issue is that Activision's hands are tied by that contract, sources tell us -- and it may be the root of the "insubordination" allegation against Infinity Ward's stewardship.

Activision has a history of using legal muscle to get the better end of its agreements, as it did with its Brutal Legend spat with EA and the DJ Hero battle that caught Scratch developer 7 Studios in the crossfire.

The company also never hesitates to treat games as a business -- for example, now that Guitar Hero is no longer the cash cow it once was, it closed Red Octane and made cuts at Neversoft, despite the way those studios have performed for Activision in the past.

Another source with knowledge of the situation tells Gamasutra that although Infinity Ward is only about 75 developers strong, Activision brass demanded layoffs at the studio anticipating a refusal -- which they received, potentially opening the door for Activision to use that refusal as a way to launch a breach suit that would help it escape its contract.

Certainly, rumors and speculation will run rampant all over the dramatic exit of West and Zampella, and all eyes are watching the situation closely for the real facts to emerge.

But it makes clear one unfortunate downside to success: The game industry is a business, and when success is high, the stakes get higher. A sweetheart contract with a publisher might appear to be the ultimate reward -- but it may also turn out to be an ultimate weapon.
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[quote name='Fjordson']What a bizarre and troublesome story. I wouldn't be surprised if some of this is Kotick flexing his corporate muscles after West and other IW heads didn't agree with Bobby's future plans for CoD (over saturation in general and subscription fees come to mind).

I feel bad for IW. They make Activision a massive mountain of cash and then this happens.

Edit: Also interesting that Bad Company 2 is coming out today (or maybe not) :lol:[/QUOTE]

[quote name='KaneRobot']Who is shocked at this point? Bad things happen when you are under Activision - deserved or not.

Frankly, those two IW guys could have been snorting coke on the job, stealing money from Activision, and fucking Bobby Kotick's wife in the ass on an hourly basis, and I'd still be inclined to think Activision are the bad guys.[/QUOTE]

Here is the PR problem from Activision's standpoint. Regardless of the situation, they are an evil empire sucking the life out of the lowly developer.
 
Ahh Activision, another day, another PR nightmare...

I wonder when the last time they received good press unrelated to sales figures?
 
Aaaand here's the official announcement via Kotaku:
http://kotaku.com/5484026/

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 around the world." It plans to expand the Call of Duty brand "with the same focus seen in its Blizzard Entertainment business unit" placing a focus on "high-margin digital online content and further the brand as the leading action entertainment franchise in new geographies, new genres and with new digital business models."

As previously announced, Activision will release a new Call of Duty game from series co-developer Treyarch, responsible for Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World At War, this fall. Developer Infinity Ward is still scheduled to release two downloadable map packs for Modern Warfare 2 this year.

In 2011, Activision will release another new Call of Duty game from Sledgehammer Games, the recently formed studio lead by Dead Space creative leads Glen A. Schofield and Michael Condrey. The title will "extend the franchise into the action-adventure genre."

The previously mentioned Call of Duty business unit will be led by Philip Earl, who currently runs Activision Publishing's Asia Pacific region. Activision Publishing's Steve Pearce, chief technology officer, and Steve Ackrich, head of production, will lead Infinity Ward on an interim basis. Former studios heads Jason West and Vince Zampella are no longer with Infinity Ward, officially.

"Activision doesn't comment on HR matters related to its studios," said reps when asked for comment about the departures.

Activision Publishing also announced that the company is "in discussions with a select number of partners to bring the franchise to Asia, one of the fastest growing regions for online multiplayer games in the world."
Click to expand...
 
So, to sum up what seems to be going on - Activision wants more Call of Duty, IW either wants to work on something else, doesn't want to work with Activision's one-a-year development period, or wants more money, so Activision decides to smite IW. If correct, won't take long before Activision runs the CoD franchise into the ground. At that point, how many successful franchises will they still have?
 
An action-adventure Call of Duty?! :rofl:

That'll really be a hit with Johnny Fratboy. Death of Activision am confirmed.
 
Yeah looks like CoD is going the same way as GH, ah well MW was good, thankfully I had little interest in MW2 and will have even less in any further CoD games.
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']So, to sum up what seems to be going on - Activision wants more Call of Duty, IW either wants to work on something else, doesn't want to work with Activision's one-a-year development period, or wants more money, so Activision decides to smite IW. If correct, won't take long before Activision runs the CoD franchise into the ground. At that point, how many successful franchises will they still have?[/QUOTE]

A better question would be, how many successful franchises have they run into the ground?

Guitar Hero
Bond
Tony Hawk
Spider-man
and the list goes on

I wonder how long before we see them start fucking with Blizzard? What's that? Starcraft 2 comes in 3 parts? Oh shiiiiiit son...
 
So I guess we wont see the end of the Modern Warfare stroyline then eh? Fine by me as I felt they jumped the shark with the twists in the end of MW2.

Chances are they wanted IW to combine the MW franchise with Guitar Hero and Spiderman. They wanted IW to develop a game where you are a masked superhero at night, Soldier by day, and part of being a soldier you go on covert ops disguised as a Rock Star. New gaming peripheral that looks like a guitar, has a trigger on it so it can be used as a gun, and insted of a grenade launcher, you shoot web bombs out that trap the enemies.
 
Hey, do you guys recall when Activision wanted to change the name to just Modern Warfare 2?

It's all coming together now - Activision didn't want to pay IW royalties, and wanted the name change because they knew IW might be leaving in the near future - so they wanted to be able to release MW2 without the Call of Duty name so people would get use to Modern Warfare rather then Call of Duty.
 
[quote name='Spyder187']So I guess we wont see the end of the Modern Warfare stroyline then eh? Fine by me as I felt they jumped the shark with the twists in the end of MW2.

Chances are they wanted IW to combine the MW franchise with Guitar Hero and Spiderman. They wanted IW to develop a game where you are a masked superhero at night, Soldier by day, and part of being a soldier you go on covert ops disguised as a Rock Star. New gaming peripheral that looks like a guitar, has a trigger on it so it can be used as a gun, and insted of a grenade launcher, you shoot web bombs out that trap the enemies.[/QUOTE]

You forgot the part where its an MMO...
 
I guess that with IW pissed off and off COD it's unlikely we'll get the remaining bugs and other annoyances in MW2 fixed. Oh well, I haven't played it much anyway.
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']Hey, do you guys recall when Activision wanted to change the name to just Modern Warfare 2?

It's all coming together now - Activision didn't want to pay IW royalties, and wanted the name change because they knew IW might be leaving in the near future - so they wanted to be able to release MW2 without the Call of Duty name so people would get use to Modern Warfare rather then Call of Duty.[/QUOTE]

It was IW that wanted to name it Modern Warfare 2. Activision ended up persuading them to add the Call of Duty name after showing that consumer recognition of the title drastically fell without it.
 
This would enable Kotick to potentially go all in for low budget, high margin games on the various mobile platforms with low to little risk. I suspect the CoD litmus test on the Apple App store probably gave him some insane margins of over 300% and does very well. Development costs to that tier 3 studio was probably 5-10% of what it costs to do CoD 2 and can be done in 3 months.

Kotick loves what Apple has done for gaming -- It's a race to the bottom and if people are willing to pay $10 for only 10% of the quality, Activision will be a provider in fungible entertainment.

The only thing he probably wants to keep is Blizzard with the monthly WoW cash cow and the IP names. If Blizz didn't have a WoW and a more robust legal agreement in terms of IP (which IW didn't have), Activision wouldn't hesitate to kick them out either.
 
G4 got ahold of an internal memo that still describes IW as "central" to the future of Call of Duty.
http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/7...ity-Ward-Central-To-Call-Of-Dutys-Future.html

I've obtained an internal memo penned by Activision Publishing president and CEO Mike Griffith that just released to Activision employees at the same time as the press release about the future of Infinity Ward and Call of Duty. It's largely the same as the release that's available in detail here, but there's a key distinction in the internal memo: Activision mentions Infinity Ward's future with Call of Duty.

Even though Infinity Ward studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella are now confirmed to have left the company, Activision says Infinity Ward is "central to Call of Duty's future."

"Jason West and Vince Zampella are no longer with Infinity Ward," explained Griffith, reiterating what we now publicly know. "Infinity Ward remains central to Call of Duty's future and we rely on the combined talent, expertise and leadership of the team there for its success."

That seems to suggest Infinity Ward is on-board for more Call of Duty. Whether that's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 or something else remains to be seen. Infinity Ward might not even know yet.
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I've purchased one brand new Activision title since they dicked Sony around with GH controller compatibility in Rock Band around 3 years back. That game was MW2.

If I feel compelled to buy any Activision title instead of just GF'ing it, I assure you I will buy it used without exception.

You all enable Activision every time you justify just a single purchase of a game. I'm sure IW ain't no saints, but Activision is a fucking tyrant.

EDIT: It looks ultimately that Activision got their cake and gets to eat it, too. By ousting the heads under auspicious circumstances, they've surely got the current IW staff under the fear of god that they better shut up, do their jobs, and not open their mouths with a single fucking complaint, or they'll end up on the unemployment line quicker than Tony Hawk: Ride can hit the discount bin. IW is "autonomous" contractually, but Activision has them exactly where they want them: scared and compliant.
 
[quote name='Spyder187'] Chances are they wanted IW to combine the MW franchise with Guitar Hero and Spiderman. They wanted IW to develop a game where you are a masked superhero at night, Soldier by day, and part of being a soldier you go on covert ops disguised as a Rock Star. New gaming peripheral that looks like a guitar, has a trigger on it so it can be used as a gun, and insted of a grenade launcher, you shoot web bombs out that trap the enemies.[/QUOTE]

Check out the hot peripheral they've got planned!:lol:
gun-guitar--12478.jpg
 
Lmao @ that peripheral. I can't wait for Call of Duty Hero!

This is some awful news. I've enjoyed the past IW CoD games, it's a shame that this had to happen.

Anyone remember what happened to the Medal of Honor series when EA did something similar to that original team? Yeah...

Here's hoping someone picks up West and Zampella, maybe even pairing them together. I'd be interested to see what they could do outside of Kotick's shadow.
 
[quote name='Fjordson']Lmao @ that peripheral. I can't wait for Call of Duty Hero!

This is some awful news. I've enjoyed the past IW CoD games, it's a shame that this had to happen.

Anyone remember what happened to the Medal of Honor series when EA did something similar to that original team? Yeah...

Here's hoping someone picks up West and Zampella, maybe even pairing them together. I'd be interested to see what they could do outside of Kotick's shadow.[/QUOTE]
Yea consider when EA did it to the Medal of Honor team... they became Infinity Ward!
 
Another source with knowledge of the situation tells Gamasutra that although Infinity Ward is only about 75 developers strong, Activision brass demanded layoffs at the studio anticipating a refusal -- which they received, potentially opening the door for Activision to use that refusal as a way to launch a breach suit that would help it escape its contract.
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That is fucking low. Talk about trash.

[quote name='Cao Cao']G4 got ahold of an internal memo that still describes IW as "central" to the future of Call of Duty.
http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/7...ity-Ward-Central-To-Call-Of-Dutys-Future.html[/QUOTE]

I doubt this statement means anything other than a veiled handshake to the current IW employees until Activision decides to can them after their oversaturation plan reaches its cycle. They know they will oversaturate CoD so they had wanted the 3rd Modern Warfare out asap. Maybe we'll see MW3 or maybe just the DLC for MW2. All Activision cares about is milking an IP until it has nothing left. All business.

I am glad I haven't given them my money in a long time. I regret that I will for Starcraft 2. If I could get it used I would do that but that's not possible. After that game though I'll probably not buy anything from them again.
 
[quote name='J7.']That is fucking low. Talk about trash.[/QUOTE]

That's big business, man. That's why we need unions. And not just the stupid old unions. We need next generation unions of humanity. If any of the 70+ IW employees is in danger from the Activision giant, they all need to stand up for each other.

What's the worst that could happen? They all get fired or quit, stay together, and create their own company. They release a game called Postmodern Warfare Triad: Hey Look At Us We Made A Certain Game You Liked In The Past But A Certain Piece Of Trash Company Treated Us Like Dirt So Now We're Independent Suck It Piece Of Trash Company. The big business types at Activision get their panties in a twist.
 
[quote name='Chuplayer']That's big business, man. That's why we need unions. And not just the stupid old unions. We need next generation unions of humanity. If any of the 70+ IW employees is in danger from the Activision giant, they all need to stand up for each other.

What's the worst that could happen? They all get fired or quit, stay together, and create their own company. They release a game called Postmodern Warfare Triad: Hey Look At Us We Made A Certain Game You Liked In The Past But A Certain Piece Of Trash Company Treated Us Like Dirt So Now We're Independent Suck It Piece Of Trash Company. The big business types at Activision get their panties in a twist.[/QUOTE]

It certainly is and is why I often hate capitalism. This is all so similar to why Activision was started in the first place, the irony. IW employees should quit, but I doubt they will. Creatively they'd be better off going independent, but financially they want that money from Activision. There's probably people itching to get to higher positions within IW now that the top two are gone to boot, that is if ATV doesn't try to force their hand there too. I don't know the specifics.
 
I'm glad someone brought up Medal of Honor. This series will become irrelevant. I wonder what people think of Kottick's "Activision is a great place to work for" speech at DICE now.
 
[quote name='Chuplayer']That's big business, man. That's why we need unions. And not just the stupid old unions. We need next generation unions of humanity. If any of the 70+ IW employees is in danger from the Activision giant, they all need to stand up for each other.

What's the worst that could happen? They all get fired or quit, stay together, and create their own company. They release a game called Postmodern Warfare Triad: Hey Look At Us We Made A Certain Game You Liked In The Past But A Certain Piece Of Trash Company Treated Us Like Dirt So Now We're Independent Suck It Piece Of Trash Company. The big business types at Activision get their panties in a twist.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='J7.']It certainly is and is why I often hate capitalism. This is all so similar to why Activision was started in the first place, the irony. IW employees should quit, but I doubt they will. Creatively they'd be better off going independent, but financially they want that money from Activision. There's probably people itching to get to higher positions within IW now that the top two are gone to boot, that is if ATV doesn't try to force their hand there too. I don't know the specifics.[/QUOTE]

MW2 cost between $40-$50 million to develop and a total of $200 million after marketing and distribution costs. Next-gen developers don't make next-gen games without massive budgets. What are they going to do? Take out a bank loan?
 
gamers don't have the will power to boycott a turd sandwich let alone a hyped up videogame. we all saw what happened with the l4d2 boycotts.
 
They do have the will to boycott a Treyarch or Sledgehammer made CoD - they'll just keep on playing Modern Warfare 2.
 
[quote name='WrexManor']gamers don't have the will power to boycott a turd sandwich let alone a hyped up videogame. we all saw what happened with the l4d2 boycotts.[/QUOTE]

Actually that did work as the people boycott were able to set up a meeting with Valve
 
[quote name='WrexManor']gamers don't have the will power to boycott a turd sandwich let alone a hyped up videogame. we all saw what happened with the l4d2 boycotts.[/QUOTE]

Agreed, the much publicized boycotts do very little. However what does have an effect is when people start to not buy the endless GH games because they've lost interest. This is what will happen to CoD now, I doubt Activision will ever see numbers like it did with MW2 with another CoD game.

I'm pretty much done with them now, and I didn't even buy MW2.
 
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