Infinity Ward - my 2 cents

I'm not the biggest fan of *Modern Warfare 2* and I've been composing a blog post in my head about my conflicted thoughts on it but this takes precedence.

Deja Vu - it wasn't too long after Spider-Man 2 that Pete & Don got let go from Treyarch.  And yes, a lot of Pete & Don's friends (including me) quit as soon as our contracts were up.  (And, without Pete & Tomo Moriwaki & James Chao & myself & others I can't help but notice that Spider-Man 3 didn't too well.  Schadenfreude, baby.)

Although at the time I kind of understood Activision being hard-asses with us, because - hey - we weren't Infinity Ward.  But Infinity Ward *is* Infinity Ward, so this does seem like killing the goose.

I understand Actard is also spreading out the bonuses they owe to Infinity Ward employees over the next two years, instead of giving it in a lump.  Great way to get retirement on the job.  A lot of those guys are going to do the minimum they can get away with and still keep their jobs...

I think firing Jason & Vince is a bad idea not just because of head count, but I think it could seriously hurt the brand.  Years ago the fans followed Vince & Jason away from Medal of Honor to Call of Duty.  I hope it will happen again.

Comments

[Alex]

I hope so too.
Jason and Vince fought hard to keep IW from becoming Treyarch, a Lack-o-Vision studio with hired guns at the helm, crunching people out of their souls for their own profit, while eliminating any creativity and fun out of making games. IW always tried to keep their studio away from Greedy Kotick's influence, and look what happened to them.
I really hope this will bring to light the work ethic of ATVI.

[blahg]

What if Jason & Vince really were insubordinate and breached their contracts, as Activision alleges? Is it still a bad idea to fire them?

We don't know the whole truth of what happened, but Jason & Vince are no angels either. Just because they tell a big sob story doesn't mean they are right. And, if they really wanted to keep control of IW, they should not have taken ATVI's money and used their resources. You can't have it both ways.

[Jeffool]

I just hope gamer's attention spans let them. We all remember the Steam screenshot of gamers in the "boycott MW2" group playing it. Sadly too many people still think publishers make games, and no one else is important in the equation (though yes, that number has gone down over the years.)

And to "blahg," it's quite possibly they're lying, but their account of their contract DID let them have control of IW, and Activision's cash. And until Activision puts forth an alternative account...

[blahg]

Jeffool: Infinity Ward is a wholly owned subsidiary of ATVI. And obviously ATVI has demonstrated that they have power to remove personnel from IW when they like. So they clearly did lose some control of Infinity Ward when they sold. Maybe they still had some kind of creative control or something written in the contract.

So I don't think anyone can argue, given the above, that they (Jason & Vince) _didn't_ make the deal that gave ATVI the power to do this. And took the money for it. So my point stands.

[Jeffool]

It's not me arguing that Activision doesn't have the power to do this; it's Jason and Vince. (Hence their lawsuit for wrongful termination and breach of contract.) And feel as confident as you like in your point, but a judge will decide if they're correct. For me, as I said before, "it's quite possible they're lying," but I've no reason to take the word of one side over the other; I don't know either group personally.

I'm just hoping, given pretty much any interview I've read with Bobby Kotick, that someone can give the guy a PR black eye. Maybe if it keeps happening, someone important will get into the battle; someone like Jean-Bernard Levy, Chairman of Activision-Blizzard.

[blahg]

Jeffool: you are apparently not understanding a nuance here. The lawsuit does not allege that ATVI does not have the ability to fire J&V; it alleges that ATVI breached an agreement by doing so.

I guess your theory is that when ATVI purchased IW, and IW become a wholly owned subsidiary of ATVI, Jason & Vince somehow retained 100% of their control over every aspect of the studio?

It's superfluous to point out that a judge will decide if they are correct. Duh, obviously. That has nothing to do with what I'm saying. Even if they win their lawsuit, it's still the case that they relinquished some control of IW, in return for $$$.

I just object to them portraying themselves as innocent, poor, "indie-like" developers who have been maybe surprised by ATVI somehow buying them without their knowledge and then taking over. That is totally spin from them.

Also, Bobby Kotick gets PR black eyes every day. I don't know why you are anxious about that. Everyone seems to hate the guy.