I didn’t sleep well last night, here’s why.
I came across some troubling news about one of my top five game development companies.
Infinity Ward (IW) has been castrated from the head by Activision. G4′s Xplay reported last night several “bouncer types” showed up to IW’s offices in Encino, CA. A frightening escalation from previously reported tense relationship between Activision and IW over creative differences about Call of Duty’s creative direction.
While it is unknown exactly what took place in IW’s offices last night, we know two of IW’s senior members have left from their position within the studio (unknown if it was willingly, or forced). Jason West (President/Game Director/COO/CTO) and Vince Zampella (Studio Head/CEO) are both reporting on their LinkedIn profiles and their Facebook accounts that their employment status is TBD.
Xplay’s source within IW is reporting the mood is “freaked out” and “confused”, “We just wanna make our games,”
Beloved @fourzerowtwo (Robert Bowling) Community Director for IW seems to have been kept out of the loop.
“I should also say, while I appreciate all the calls, tweets, messages and hearing my ringtone a lot. They’re in vain – as I have no info.”
This morning, more news has been released about what has happened Earlier in the day, Activision filed a report with the SEC citing “breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at Infinity Ward.” Reportedly, this is directly due to creative direction differences with the franchise.
Activision CEO and President Bobby Kotick has met with IW employees as of noon today.
And in a second meeting, Activision has detailed another Call of Duty game to be released this fall by Treyarch, and another one to be developed by a new “wholly-owned” studio in 2011 named “Sledgehammer Games”. And has named a replacement for IW’s reciently departed exec’s, “Activision Publishing chief technology officer Steve Pearce and head of production Steve Ackrich will head up the development house on “an interim basis.”" Reports Joystiq.com
Even publicly known Bobby Kotick barely plays many of the games he produces, the sheer sales numbers from Modern Warfare: 2 should have indicated to him, not to fix whats not broken.
Unfortunately news keeps pouring out about this story and the new direction Call of Duty is going to take, I will keep updating with more relevant articles giving more information and examples of past douchebaggery by activision.
Read More:
http://investor.activision.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1047469-10-1649
http://kotaku.com/5483492/scandal-hits-call-of-duty-devs-what-we-know-[update]
http://kotaku.com/5483711/report-modern-warfare-dev-head-leaves-company
http://kotaku.com/5484046/infinity-ward-vs-activision-the-battle-for-creative-direction
http://kotaku.com/5484026/activisions-new-plans-for-call-of-duty-include-new-developer-new-genres
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/activision-confirms-infinity-ward-studio-heads-departures/
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/sledgehammer-games-working-on-call-of-duty-game/
http://kotaku.com/5080486/infinity-ward-guy-calls-activision-guy-super-douche
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/infinity-ward-modern-warfare-2-royalties-analysis/
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27482/Analysis_Infinity_Wards_DoubleEdged_Sword.php
