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Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

Now this just pisses me off.

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An amended complaint filed on Thursday by the Infinity Ward Employee Group has offered up new, alleged details from the ongoing legal battle between the studio and publisher Activision.

Before and after Activision fired studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella in March, the complaint alleges Activision forced the Infinity Ward employees to "submit to secret interrogations" and that the publisher created a "police state" - like atmosphere and "hostile work environment" at the studio.

In a later meeting with the studio's employees, CEO Bobby Kotick also allegedly promised the group they would be paid their bonuses from Modern Warfare 2 in full. Kotick said "nothing will change" regarding bonus compensation, according to the complaint. But that apparently did not go as planned.

The complaint notes that "despite Bobby Kotick's oral statements to the employees of Infinity Ward to the contrary, Activision made a tactical and calculated decision to withhold $54 million of earned and vested bonus compensation from the Infinity Ward employees."

"At the same time, Activision breached its prior written promise that Modern Warfare 3 would not be the next game to be developed, produced, and delivered by Infinity Ward."

Later in March, Infinity Ward employees began to complain to Activision management about not receiving their bonuses. In an April meeting with Activision COO Thomas Tippl, he allegedly told the employees who kept demanding the bonuses to be paid to "get over it."

The complaint also alleges the reason Activision withheld the remaining $54 million owed was because they were afraid that employees would leave the studio and that Activision "would not be able to get Modern Warfare 3 to market by November 2011."

The Infinity Ward Employee Group notes they would not have left the studio had Activision, among other things, not fired Jason West and Vince Zampella, been paid their bonuses in full, and had been told the truth about the next game the studio was to develop after Modern Warfare 2.

As we reported yesterday, a trial date for both the lawsuits from Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella, and the Infinity Ward Employee Group against Activision has been set for May 23, 2011.

IGN has contacted Activision for additional comments.

A copy of the amended complaint can be viewed here.

Anyone surprised? Anyone at all? No? Didn't think so.

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

So...what its saying is...Activision sucks?

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

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Originally Posted by redgroupclan (Post 5356584)

So...what its saying is...Activision sucks?

:nodding:

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

Piss poor management at Activision. Sadly it's a story all too familiar in business these days.

Those talented guys are better off at other software houses, but I hope they get their money.

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

Nazivision's evil actions aren't surprising. What is surprising is that people still buy their games like it's crack cocaine. It's mainly the console crowd because they're never told things like this (plus fanboyism, but I blame ignorance over fanboyism).

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

I'll buy any game, so long as it's worth my money. Don't give a rat's arse who made it particularly...

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

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Originally Posted by Mr. Matt (Post 5356893)

I'll buy any game, so long as it's worth my money. Don't give a rat's arse who made it particularly...

Exactly, no ones going to start a revolution because they told their online forum buddies not to buy Modern Warfare 2.

If a game is good, you buy the game so the developers keep on developing. If the developers can't stand working for a publisher, they resign, AKA they'll handle their own problems and you people handle your own.

Anyways, what my point is that I've been wanting to say for a long time is, if you like a game, then buy it. No need to burden the developers even more with a loss in profit adding to stress from publishers.

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

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Originally Posted by Mr. Matt (Post 5356893)

I'll buy any game, so long as it's worth my money. Don't give a rat's arse who made it particularly...

Well said.

I couldn't agree more. :nodding:

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

It's hard to support a publisher when they treat their developers like dogs, though.

From what Kotick has said in the past, I wonder if developers are afraid to resign.

I'm sorry, but I'll never support a publisher that runs a developer sweat shop no matter how good the games the developers make.

Remember:

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Kotick noted that in the past he changed the employee incentive program so that it "really rewards profit and nothing else." He continued, "You have studio heads who five years ago didn't know the difference between a balance sheet and a bed sheet who are now arguing allocations in our CFO's office pretty regularly. ... We have a real culture of thrift. The goal that I had in bringing a lot of the packaged goods folks into Activision about 10 years ago was to take all the fun out of making video games."

Yes, he just said that.

Ultimately, Kotick doesn't want his employees to take anything for granted. They should always be aware of "skepticism, pessimism, and fear" in the midst of the global economic downturn. "We are very good at keeping people focused on the deep depression", he said.

Unless the other publishers treat their developers like this behind closed doors, I know of no other publisher that runs their developers like this.

This is the exact reason I'll never buy an Activision game ever again until Kotick is gone (and maybe Tippl as well). The only exception is used games from Activision, because they don't see a cent from those games (but, sadly, so do the developers).

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

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Originally Posted by Killer Kyle (Post 5357249)

We're not talking about supporting some oppressive dictatorial regime in Africa here. At the end of the day, Activision is a corporation. Their employees have comfy chairs, desks, and a water cooler. They aren't being worked to death in a gulag. Even if their current staff choose not to resign, as they are free to do, companies these days (especially in such a competitive market as high-budget game development/publishing) must compete for their staff - and after all this press, I don't think many people will be particularly keen to work for Activision in the future. It'll bite them in the arse far more than some little 'gamer boycott' ever will.

In the meantime, if they put out a game worth playing, I'll play it. My hobby is just that, a hobby. I couldn't care less who made the product, so long as the product is fit for purpose.

Unsurprisingly though, I can't recall the last time I bought a game made by Activision. Modern Warfare is probably the last one.

By all means, though, boycott companies which are doing actually reprehensible things, like clothes from companies which operate actual sweatshops. If you can claim that everything you own is free from being stained with blood like that, I'd be extremely impressed.

Summary: gaming is a hobby, not a political soapbox, and there are bigger fish to fry than Activision's ruffling of feathers.

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

It's still the developers jobs. If they leave, they might not be able to get a better position at another company. If they stay, they will, according to the article, be in a "depressing" and "pessimistic" work environment. Also known as a very, very bad work environment in some parts of the world. But for those interested, a trial date has been set for the Activision-Infinity Ward trial:

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The verdict in the cases between Jason West, Vince Zampella, and the Infinity Ward Employee Group vs. Activision will have to wait until next year.

A Los Angeles county judge has set the trial date for both cases this morning. The date is May 23, 2011.

Jason West and Vince Zampella are seeking royalty payments the two were to be paid weeks before they were fired from Activision in early March.

The Infinity Ward Employee Group, which includes 38 past and present employees, filed a lawsuit in late April also seeking large sums of unpaid royalties from Activision.

Source: Activision Vs. Infinity Ward Trial Date Set - Xbox360 News at IGN

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

Mr. Matt, I am aware of actual sweatshops, but you have to pick your fights. Unfortunately, Chinese sweatshop workers and Nazivision developers can't just quit because they have nowhere else to go. With us, it's lack of jobs in this current economic situation. In both situation, it's just making money to stay afloat (though developers make more than enough to do so).

Yes Nazivision does run what can be amounted to a dictatorship. They work people to strict deadlines for profits only enjoyed by the publisher owners. They kill off (fire) whoever no longer can make money for them via IP milking. There's talk of torturous interrogations. They use bodyguards to keep former employees out of their property. No other publisher that I know of operates like this. For all of this, they don't deserve to exist or Kotick doesn't deserve to be in charge just like an oppressive dictator. I know he doesn't have people shot and killed and chopped up or run a true sweatshop, but it's damn close enough.

Also, they aim to make more money off of you by raising product prices and even threatening subscription services where they aren't even necessary or practical, and whatever they'll successful at companies copy, which makes gaming a more expensive and corporate-controlled hobby overall for you and me.

Gaming is a hobby to me, too, but draconian DRM and greed are making that hobby less enjoyable because I now I have to watch what I buy instead of just buying what I want to try out next. It's the same for everyone now.

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

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Originally Posted by Killer Kyle (Post 5361169)

Mr. Matt, I am aware of actual sweatshops, but you have to pick your fights.

Pick your fights? So there's some invisible force that's somehow stopping you from buying products from companies that operate actual sweatshops, but Activision is fair game?

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Unfortunately, Chinese sweatshop workers and Nazivision developers can't just quit because they have nowhere else to go. With us, it's lack of jobs in this current economic situation. In both situation, it's just making money to stay afloat (though developers make more than enough to do so).

I was made redundant last year. I managed to find a job. It's not exactly the career choice I wanted to make at my age, but it's a job, and in the meantime I'll be able to find another while not worrying too much about income.

The economy sucks, but not to the point where you can't quit from a company that people are ridiculously comparing to a Nazi dictatorship.

Unlike third-world companies, where few labour laws exist and there truly isn't anywhere else for them to go.

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Yes Nazivision does run what can be amounted to a dictatorship.

That is perhaps the most offensive and exaggerated thing I've ever heard you say.

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They work people to strict deadlines for profits only enjoyed by the publisher owners.

Sounds like most companies I've worked for! What did you think companies were doing for the last couple of centuries? Charity work?

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They kill off (fire) whoever no longer can make money for them via IP milking.

I'm reasonably sure that talented developers would be re-assigned, rather than fired simply because the IP they happen to be working on at the time is no longer profitable.

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There's talk of torturous interrogations.

'Talk' of 'torturous' interrogations? Strapping them to stockades and whipping them, are they?

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They use bodyguards to keep former employees out of their property.

The company I work for now does that. And there's good reason for it - former employees often carry grudges, and in their emotional state will seek ways to burn bridges.

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I know he doesn't have people shot and killed and chopped up or run a true sweatshop, but it's damn close enough.

It's not even damned close and you know it. As I said before, they have comfy chairs, a water cooler, and they can go home at the end of the day, the length of which is mandated by government law.

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Also, they aim to make more money off of you by raising product prices and even threatening subscription services where they aren't even necessary or practical, and whatever they'll successful at companies copy, which makes gaming a more expensive and corporate-controlled hobby overall for you and me.

Here's where the brilliance of competition and market forces come into play. If their games aren't worth the money they're charging, people won't buy them! If their subscription services aren't worth the month fees, people won't subscribe to them! And other companies will offer cheaper products to compete.

Gaming has been a corporate-controlled hobby for years now. Or did you really think that mass-produced video games need to remain as expensive as they currently are? Activision is just trying to see how much further they can push that. Their plans may work, and they may not.

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Gaming is a hobby to me, too, but draconian DRM and greed are making that hobby less enjoyable because I now I have to watch what I buy instead of just buying what I want to try out next. It's the same for everyone now.

If I were going to boycott a company, I'd pick a target that had committed much worse crimes than what you've listed here. And there are plenty of them! How many are you boycotting at the moment?

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

I lol'd at 'torturous' interrogations, I can't believe how many of you people fell for the exaggerated reportings from who but video game media outlets!

If there were anything wrong going on at Activision:

1. Everyone would know about it, not just whoever read that article
2. The government would have gotten involved
3. It would've been featured on The Colbert Report
3. Everyone would have quit working for Activision already

Don't say they have "nowhere to go", Infinity Ward employees have plenty of options because Infinity Ward has a very high reputation and many, many companys would be glad to take anyone who worked on Modern Warfare 2.

Re: Activision runs police state at Infitity ward

You're right Mr. Matt. That was overblown. I just don't like this company because it's hard to see something run by the biggest asshole in history stay afloat (though they won't stay afloat for long according to industry analysts in they stay with their current business model).

I forgot that there are two sides to every story, but if you read all of the material out there, Nazivision is really looking like the bad guy right now (pertaining to this lawsuit), and Kotick has more than tarnished that company's PR relations in the past.

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Originally Posted by Regarding Price Increases

Activision is just trying to see how much further they can push that. Their plans may work, and they may not.

It works and Kotick knows it because of fanboyism and overhype. It's why he can get away with being a giant asshole.

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If I were going to boycott a company, I'd pick a target that had committed much worse crimes than what you've listed here. And there are plenty of them! How many are you boycotting at the moment?

The only companies I'm boycotting right now are Ubsoft (for their DRM) and Activision (for their business practices). Was on an EA boycott for a while for C&C4's Ubisoft-like DRM, but I decided to give them another shot. My PS3 doesn't run the latest firmware because of the forced OtherOS feature removal (which has them in court for consumer law violations plus they have terrible PR, so they're doing worse than Nazivision right now).

This time last year, I didn't even know what was going on in the gaming industry (or it was more peaceful), and it may have been for the better. Maybe by this time next year, most everyone will have snapped out of their moronic state, and I can buy a game w/o worrying about buying from something that is screwing over me or others (more than the avg. publisher).