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.
Boobs are like bacon. They are juicy and good. There now I won't be perverted anymore. ~Raptor 101
Star Wars: Empire at War Rogues Since our days are now numbered, I feel I can finally admit to something I doubt any of you knew. ROGUES WAS A LIE ALL ALONG! IT WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN! IT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN THE PIPE DREAM OF AN AMATEUR IN OVER HIS HEAD!
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).
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.
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.
Star Wars: Empire at War Rogues Since our days are now numbered, I feel I can finally admit to something I doubt any of you knew. ROGUES WAS A LIE ALL ALONG! IT WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN! IT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN THE PIPE DREAM OF AN AMATEUR IN OVER HIS HEAD!
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:
Quote:
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).
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.
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.
Disclaimer: FileTrekkers are opinion by personal endorsed.
Last edited by Mr. Matt; July 12th, 2010 at 03:39 PM.
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