Activision 'has lost sight of reality' says lawyer

The attorney representing Jason West and Vince Zampella - the Infinity Ward founders dismissed by owner Activision - has called the publisher 'misguided'.

Robert M. Schwartz, the attorney representing West and Zampella, was speaking in response to a counter-claim made by Activision today which details why the publisher fired the two for 'insubordination'.

Activision says the two courted other potential employers and their colleagues in plans to form a spin-off studio - all while production on Modern Warfare 2, one of the most lucrative games ever, was well underway.

[coolcut135]

we all knew that a long time ago!!

[Government Cheese]

Yeah lol, does it really need to take a lawyer to figure this out?

[evrfighter]

I hope they crash and burn. An example needs to be made on how you can be screwed when you deal with the devil.

[Commander TK]

r now worse than EA

[Gestalt]

For Activision, yes, it really does.

[Meryl]

I am backing Infinity Ward on this one

[Downtown boogey]

Really now? Anyway...
I find it just unbelievable that people do this kind of stuff. IW has clearly earned all that money and Activision is practically stealing it from them! It's a theft.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

I guess business is business... I screw you, you screw me, we both screw consumers and everyone is unhappy!

[NotSoSilentBob]

How do you get that West and Zamp were doing shady deals? They developed the greatest selling Video game ever? They have a right to talk with other publishers as they were contracted with Activision and that contract was to run out soon. They have a right to go and talk with other employers to find if they will pay a higher wage then what Activision was offering. Activision claims that the insubordination was happening while they were developing MW2 yet they didn't remove them at the time. Activision wanted they Cash from MW2 and that was it.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

It's pretty clear what West and Zampella is doing.

"hey developed the greatest selling Video game ever?"

So? Don't you think Activision knows that? I betcha Activision wants to keep these guys at almost any cost seeing how they are among the most important people to Activions. It doesn't make sense for a well managed company as Activision to get rid of two important guys, which leads me to the next point.

"They have a right to talk with other publishers as they were contracted with Activision and that contract was to run out soon. They have a right to go and talk with other employers to find if they will pay a higher wage then what Activision was offering."

All I have to say to that is:

"Activision says the two courted other potential employers and their colleagues in plans to form a spin-off studio - all while production on Modern Warfare 2..."

If it is fine to contact other employers, then why is it "secret" communication? Not only that they are also using company equipment to secretly communicate with 3rd party.

In addition, they have threatened to halt production of MW2.

All the dirty stuff can be found here:

http://kotaku.com/5513756/t...

To me, I don't know the legal aspects, but I do know that any smart person will try to keep these guys at almost any cost and coupled that with email evidence of secret communications, use of company assets to do so is starting to look pretty shady to me.

Mixed in all this he said, she said stuff is a bunch of half truths. I believe both Activision and West/Zampella is screwing with each other.

However, most people will believe that only corporations are evil as opposed to two guys.

[NotSoSilentBob]

@IdleLeeSiuLung

I see where you are coming from but with Activision bringing that into the light, it means nothing. IW still delivered the greatest reviewed/sold game ever. It showed that they can do the work and still worry about business when they can. Activision has done nothing but praise IW publicly until they ousted the 2 founders. That right there is going to come back to bite Activision in the butt because it will show how 2 faced they really are.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

Well, Activision is a business and they aren't going to publicly say bad things about their own studio! That would be just idiotic.

Nedless to say, I personally think the guys are being well rewarded considering their situation. I mean they manage to demand that they have a say in all future CoD:MW games! That is worth a lot as a bargaining chip!

They are demanding $33 million in bonus and apparently a third of the bonus belongs to two guys. I think the only next great thing they can ask for is royalties....

With any creative field, it is a huge risk. Imagine if CoD:MW2 didn't deliver and sold poorly? Imagine if IW made one poor game? Do you think the developers are shouldering the cost?

With a huge risk, there is got to be a huge reward otherwise nobody would do it. Plain and simple!

Would you buy a lottery ticket if a ticket cost $5, there was a 1 in gazillion chance of winning and if you won you would get $100k? I wouldn't!

[AliTheBrit19]

Activision are the new EA..

[kvg88]

they're like some mixed up obscenity of their own now

[Legionaire2005]

LOL Nuff said!!!