The day went down as one of the most tumultuous days in video game development history, but still, nearly 14 years later, we still have glimpses of the day Activision fired the founders of Infinity Ward.
In March 2010, Infinity Ward founders Vince Zampella and Jason West were ejected from the studio by security after being fired for breach of contract and insubordination. The shocking news comes months after Activision released blockbuster first-person shooter Modern Warfare 2, developed by Infinity Ward, which grossed $1 billion.
What happened next is well-documented: West and Zampella sued Bobby Kotick-led publisher Activision for $36 million. Activision filed a countersuit, accusing West and Zampella of secretly meeting with EA to “…steal…”. [Infinity Ward] Studio.” Of course, West and Zampella co-founded rival FPS studio Respawn Entertainment with EA, bringing with them many disgruntled Infinity Ward employees, and complaining about continued development on Titanfall before the battle royale game became a huge success with Apex Legends. Done. Unpaid royalties. All dirty lawsuits finally settled. What was left of Infinity Ward released Modern Warfare 3 in 2011 with the help of companies like Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software.
Well, as discovered computer gamesPaul Sandler, lead designer of NetEase games and former Infinity Ward team member, wrote an article about it LinkedIn It was called “The Day Activision Fired Jason and Vince.” It is a fascinating read that shows how ordinary people lived through a dramatic series of events
What caught my attention was Sandler’s recall of Activision’s attempt to prevent Infinity Ward and thus the downfall of Modern Warfare 3:
“There was an emergency meeting in the company kitchen. A group of senior Activision executives were already at the studio and ready to steady the ship. The Infinity Ward team gathered in the kitchen, looking at the group of executives standing behind the long kitchen table. One of them tried to explain what was going on, but no one on the development team bought it or cared. The response was mostly silence. Then a team member vaguely asked if we would get the reward we already received for shipping Modern Warfare 2. As he read the tense atmosphere in the room, another manager entered and tried a different tactic. “Guys, if you’re in the studio making Modern Warfare 3, you’ll get your MW2 bonus,” and we’ll give everyone a fifty percent raise.” He paused before saying, “That’s five and zero, fifty percent,” he repeated. The man’s expression didn’t change. . Anyway, most of the team members were more than upset. “Look, I get it,” the CEO repeated. “I know this is a tough situation. But just take the money and get over it.”
IGN has reached out to Activision for comment.
As we know, despite Activision’s efforts, Infinity Ward suffered mass layoffs following the layoffs of Zampella and West. About 40 developers out of about 100 employees resigned. “Activision accidentally split its main studio, which was one of the best studios of all time,” Sandler said.
A lot has changed in the last 14 years. Infinity Ward Call of Duty: Ghosts and Call of Duty: Infinity Warfare did poorly before launching a Call of Duty comeback with 2019’s soft reboots Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the massively popular Battle Royale Warzone. Infinity Ward released Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 last year.
EA eventually bought Respawn in 2017 after the release of Titanfall and Titanfall 2. Apex Legends followed, and another team created the successful action game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Respawn is currently working on a third Star Wars Jedi game as well as an untitled Star Wars FPS. Zampella rose through the ranks at EA and became the general manager of the group responsible for Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi, Battlefield and Need for Speed.
Photo credit: Photography by Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic
Wesley is IGN’s UK news editor. You can find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can find Wesley here [email protected] or secretly at [email protected] to communicate
