Are Activision’s Days as Top Publisher Numbered?

Gamervision.com examines Activision’s recent actions with the help of a former Activision employee: "Last week, the gaming industry was shocked and dismayed to hear that Jason West and Vince Zampella of Infinity Ward had left over a dispute with parent company Activision. The sordid details of the acrimonious split were so unbelievable that some thought it was a publicity stunt meant to divert attention from EA’s Battlefield Bad Company 2, which launched on the same day. However, Activision soon made it clear that Infinity Ward was no longer on a two-year Call of Duty cycle, announcing in a press release that the next two installments in the franchise would be developed by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games, respectively. Considering that Infinity Ward was responsible for the hugely successful Modern Warfare 2, which launched last November to overwhelmingly positive reviews and ridiculously high sales, this was a surprising move, and one that led some gamers to worry about the future of the series. However, looking back at Activision’s actions so far in 2010, this wasn’t the first potentially damaging move on their part."