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Despite the turmoil at Infinity Ward, including a lawsuit field by a number of employees still working at the Activision-owned studio, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick says Infinity Ward is working on "their next big project," in addition to the second map pack for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Kotick revealed the news about Infinity Ward during their first quarter 2010 conference call today. He provided no other details on the game or whether it's the oft-discussed Modern Warfare 3, but explicitly said that Infinity Ward "remains an important studio" to Activision.
The CEO then read a long statement about the situation at Infinity Ward. It's a must-read.
The statement is provided in full below:
"Since we terminated the two executives at Infinity Ward, approximately 38 others have resigned and it's likely a few more people will leave, as well. Many of these people have been recruited by other studios because of how talented they are. We are obviously disappointed by this and we wish we could have convinced some of these incredibly talented people to stay.
The decision, though, to terminate the two Infinity Ward executives was not done lightly and it was not done to deprive them of their bonuses, nor was it done without a great deal of deliberation about the consequences. The background leading up to our decision to separate the two former Infinity Ward executives [...] is outlined in our cross complaint that we filed in April, which I'm sure many of you have read.
Against this background, we felt that we had no choice but to terminate the two Infinity Ward executives. We did this to protect the company's assets and in in the interests of our shareholders. I personally considered the two of them friends and their [decision] was a compromise of our friendship, which was equally disappointing. Once we began to understand what had occurred, there was no grey area. There was nothing that would have allowed us to retain their services, as talented as they might have been.
This is an example of our commitment to pursuing the difficult right, rather than the easier wrong. Our actions were firmly rooted in our longstanding values of integrity and our expectation that our employees, who signed and acknowledged our code of conduct, will behave with the highest ethical standards.
We have a great team in place at Infinity Ward, which continues to work on download content and the studio's next unannounced project. We continue to support the culture of excellence that has defined Infinity Ward and are already strengthened the studio with additional talent and financial resources."
The CEO said Activision was still on track to release a new Call of Duty in 2011. Nothing about the ongoing situation at Infinity Ward has changed this plan, explained Kotick to shareholders and analysts, as the company expects to release a "groundbreaking Call of Duty retail title" in 2011.
Kotick did not say, however, if Infinity Ward would be the studio behind that game.
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DaBigFatCow
I think Activision is becoming too business oriented and is losing the whole game publisher/developer ideal.
I feel that the Call of Duty series is going to become fully saturated by the time Infinity Ward even releases their new COD game.
I liked the old Activision back in the day when they were all about games and not the bottom line. (Like the MechWarrior 2 era.) It almost seems that they are becoming what EA used to be. At this point I would like to thank for EA for changing into a great game publisher. (The games they develop are still not amazing, but the games they publish are usually really good.)
I hope Activision can once again find their way soon. New IP s please?
nel e nel
Interesting read. Here's my take on this whole situation. First the facts:
1) The Bungivision deal has been in the works for at least 9 months (more correctly Bungie was courting deals for 9 months) by what I've read.
2) Both Respawn & the Bungivision deals were announced within 1-2 months after the firings at IW, which leads one to believe that West/Zampella have to have been in talks with EA longer than the last few weeks. I highly doubt a deal of that nature was put together that quickly.
Now for my theory:
West and Zampella have probably been experiencing sellers remorse and are now rueing the day they sold off their freedom to Activision. During this time they catch wind of the possible Activision/Bungie deal and are immediately jealous/pissed off because they want to keep their IPs. But alas, once you sell your company IN WHOLE, you sell any claims to it in the future. So they start quietly looking around for an exit strategy the possibility of starting a new studio from scratch. Activision catches wind of this, investigates, finds whatever evidence they deem sufficient and fire West/Zampella on breach of contract.
Regardless of whether Kotick/Activision is an evil empire, from an objective POV, it certainly looks like West/Zampella were courting outside offers while still under contract with Activision. You can shake your self-entitled fists all you want at Activision, but a contract is a contract, and if you breach it you have to pay the price. If West/Zampella didn't like their deal, they shouldn't have signed it in the first place.
Activision is also a business. Businesses are in the business of making money. They don't hide that fact, so why get mad at them for engaging in money making activities? If anyone are fools in this situation, it's all you clowns buying Activision published games even when you all consciously and openly hate on them on the internets.
"Ohhh, but we just want to show our love to one of our fan-boy developers, nel!" Guess what, they've been WHOLLY OWNED BY ACTIVISION FOR ALMOST 7 YEARS NOW. They stopped being an indy the moment the ink dried on the dotted line. How many of you fools are furiously expressing your ire on a M$ licensed computer right now? Guess what? They are the Activision of the PC world, and you guys have been supporting their corporate buyouts for decades now.
venromero
bobby kotex: giving tampons a bad name since 1963. even you give D-bags something to aim for. who knew the anti-christ would kick start the apocolypse at Activision?!?
Jeespot
the one thing that stood out to me "...in the interests of our shareholders." The shareholders couldn't be more detached from Call of Duty and what makes it such a great franchise, they're so detached from gaming in general. Yet Activision needs to please them first and foremost. sucks
smitske
Ye a great game like MW 2 where you betray gamers even more?
vismortis
Just admit you were a fool to let the best studio you had (some would say the best currently out there) collapse exactly like RareWare 10 years ago. The entire things is like watching history repat its self! Free Radical went on to make awsome PS2 games while Rare (post Perfect Dark) was pushed into oblivion. Most COD fans are watching for any news on Respawn while waiting for the next MW2 DLC (our first taste of post Fall of Duty IW)
Sory for the long post!
Peatore
I feel bad for those left at infinity ward,
It has got to be a huge drain on moral
Tykimykk
"Since we terminated the two executives at Infinity Ward, approximately 38 others have resigned"
Mr. Kotick,
How Long do you think IW will keep the rest of its staff when even their HR person bailed?
iamedd
Anyone else find what Kotick is saying kind of hypocritical?
"pursuing the difficult right, rather than the easier wrong"
"our longstanding values of integrity"
"behave with the highest ethical standards"
I honestly have nothing else to say, it kind of speaks for its self.
Mandark XX
Hmmm... So Bobby Kotick thinks we don't know sh-- from shine-ola. Well, I know sh-- when I hear it.
My thought is that, if Activision didn't do anything shady by terminating Vince and Jason, then why did 38+ employees immediately leave. And why are those same folks suing Activision? The whole thing stinks.
In regard to Jason and Vince, my opinion is this. They actually may have searched for another publisher and that may perhaps have been against Activision's contract. However, it is well known that they wanted to develop another IP and put COD on the shelf for a bit. That is, they didn't want to be indentured servants to Activision and continually milked for more COD content until they were creatively fried. If I'm correct, then I still side with Jason and Vince in this argument.
Activision has earned a reputation for exploiting their talent and their franchises until they are nothing but a shell of their former selves. I'm glad the ex-IW (now Respawn) people took a stand.
sydbarrett987
"Since we terminated the two executives at Infinity Ward, approximately 38 others have resigned and it's likely a few more people will leave
how many people are at infinity ward now ? 6 including the janitor lol
for real thou how many people are still there???
Stellerman7
Who the hell is he kidding? Activison fired the executives as a failed attempt in making money, pretty much everyone at Infinity Ward is giving the finger and leaving, and they still think that infinity has a future without the majority of its lead staff? Someone needs a major reality check.
dsa0224x
BTW Mr. Kotick: Poop dipped in gold and diamonds is still poop...
dsa0224x
i used to work at a former massive corporation and i read letters like these: from my experience there only good for two things 1) pissing people off 2) used as toilet paper..
Tyri3l
Kind of a joke to read a statement from Kotick talking about ethics if there's any truth about compensation for work being withheld from IW staff(and I don't see how there can't be with 40 ex and currently employed IW staffers suing Activision). With the fallout from Vince and Jason's departure I find it exceedingly difficult to believe anything Actibision has to say about the matter.
While right now I'm on the side of IW staff, I'm not going to say or do something asinine like boycott activision. People who engage in that are naive. I mean if you play World of Warcraft or want to play either Starcraft 2 or Diablo 3 are you really going to pass on the games because Blizzard's merger with Activision? Are fans of Bungie really going to pass on whatever their next project is just because it's being published by Activision? It just seems unrealistic to me and I don't think anyone has the resolve to swear off EVERY Activision game that comes out over the next 5-10 years, there's bound to be at least one that they can't resist in that period.
It's all business, let them deal with their drama. We can sit back play whatever Respawn Entertainment's first game is and play the quality Activision published games and leave it at that.
mosesbustos
corporate babble. this man is uncompromising in his quest for complete control of the modern warfare name.
gravy666
In other words: We don't care because we have the next best studio to replace them.
DethMetalHero
I think Bobby Kotick is a repugnant little troll that does not care one fig about the consumer other than how much $$ he can squeeze out of them. This "statement" is complete hogwash, dipped in 24 carat BS!! Remember this is the same guy who went on record saying that he want to charge more for peripheral games just be cause he feels he can. There is not one shred of truth or honesty in the preceding crap. Both Kotick and Activision are petulant children that over reacted to not getting their way with the executives from Infinity Ward. I for one would be VERY leery to ever give them my money EVER again.
DreamingDarklyRobin
"I personally considered the two of them friends and their [decision] was a compromise of our friendship...."
I think he's confusing friends with tools with which he can further his empire. And then throw away like condoms.
toe76
"We did this to protect the company's assets and in in the interests of our shareholders."
Really? That's why you did that? Oh, thank goodness for that then. I can't stand to think of my fat wallet growing thin.
I hear that this new finagled Respawn Entertainment will be good stock though, so I'm gonna have to leave you. Its to protect my other assets and interests, so no hard feelings?
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