Infinity Ward and Activision Fallout

Activision and Infinity Ward had quite the playground brawl this year. According to G4TV, a lawsuit of thirty-eight people from Infinity Ward was filed to sue Activision for not paying royalties. The suit was filed from anywhere between 75-500 million dollars. Activision spokesman Dan Amrich stated that employees who stay with Activision will have a bigger bonus due to the departure of these employees. The fallout may have been frightening to CoD fans, but I don’t believe there is anything to worry about. As far as Activision holding money as ransom, it almost appears they were acting as financial terrorists, bribing employees to stay for a bigger bonus. So much for integrity.

Halo: Reach and Call of Duty: Black Ops Continue to Soar

Gamers across the world most likely had the same two nights circled on the calendar. The release of Halo: Reach and Call of Duty: Black Ops sales are just too ridiculous to wrap your mind around. Reach hit $200 million dollars in the first day, where Black Ops hit an unbelievable $650 million dollars in the first week. But true gamers know the integrity of a game is not measured in sales figures. Both games delivered to their dedicated fans by giving us another solid product. Late nights that turn into early mornings of gore, grenades, and glory is something all gamers look for in a game. Being able to consistently play these titles until the next release is a true accomplishment for their developers.

Xbox 360 and PS3 Indulge in Motion Controls

Although Nintendo stands by their “FIRST!” statement, it did not stop Microsoft and Sony from hopping aboard the motion control train. That isn’t to say the death of the controller is soon to come (please pray it isn’t), but it is to say that a new breed of gaming is here. Motion control will go a long way and should have its place amongst the traditional style of gaming. Hardcore fans may pout and grumble about how uberly noobish the Kinect and motion controls are, however, as all of the major consoles have indulged in this trend, motion controls now have put both feet on the ground and are looking to run away with the next big thing.

Story! Story! Story!

After the release of games such as Alan Wake and Heavy Rain, I was ecstatic. Not because these games were the next big thing in the market, but because these games focused on something that has been slowly pushed aside as an integral part in gaming: the story. Both games will have the player on the edge of their seat, forgetting they even have a controller in their hands. The narration and unfolding of these stories is powerful and makes it difficult to put these games down. Although both games had their flaws, it is a relief to see how story is brought back to life in these titles. If more recent titles put forth half the effort that Alan Wake and Heavy Rain did into their stories, those games would be much more exciting.

Back to the Classics

Nostalgia was quite the theme in 2010. Gamers got to see many of their favorite titles return in glorious fashion. While most people were too busy with Reach and CoD, most players completely forgot the father of the FPS was re-released in GoldenEye. Games such as Metroid, Donkey Kong, and NBA Jam! made their return. Polished re-releases of these games can go a long way for players; however, if the developers dare change a thing about what made the game great in the first place, there will be hell to pay. It is a good feeling to sit down and watch childhood favorites come to life again, and these really did in 2010.

The Not-So Surprising Blockbusters

Now, I know what you’re thinking, where is the talk about your favorite title this year? Frankly, games like Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redemption, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, World of Warcraft: Catacylsm, Fable III and God of War 3 should have touched you in some shape or form this year because they were all great in their own right. But when we look back at these titles, I believe they landed right where we expected them too. You can pick and choose what needs to be implemented or what should be disposed of in these games, but for the most part they delivered. The only disappointment I had with these titles is the feeling that none may stand the test of time. It will only take another year or so until we get another game like God of War, Mass Effect, and the like. Although these games were very, very, good, nothing stands out to me as an all time hit.

2010 brought some great memories and bloody deaths. Sure, there are some big happenings that I didn’t quite touch on, but to me these events really stand out. 2011 looks very promising, and hopefully it can give gamers a game to stand the test of time. The direction of the industry looks promising based on what we saw this year; the only question is if 2011 can prove to be a better sequel.

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS COMING TO STEAM WITH FULL STEAMWORKS SUPPORT

Most Anticipated Title of 2010 Prepares for PC Launch

Oct 22, 2010- Valve and Activision Publishing, Inc today announced the upcoming holiday blockbuster, Call of Duty: Black Ops (PC), is now available for pre-purchase via Steam, a leading platform for PC and Mac games with over 30 million accounts around the world.

Those who pre-purchase Call of Duty: Black Ops on Steam will be able to start playing immediately upon release on November 9, 2010, when Activision expects the title will be available worldwide. Developed by Treyarch, Call of Duty: Black Ops utilizes the Steamworks suite of tools. The title is rated “M” (Mature – Blood, Drug, Reference, Intense Violence and Language) by the ESRB.

In addition to leveraging Steamworks’ Auto-Updating, Achievements, and more, Call of Duty: Black Ops will support Steamworks Cloud technology. The PC version of the product will be powered with Steamworks for both the digital and tangible versions of the game and, as with all Steamworks titles, offline play will also be supported.

“We are delighted to be delivering the year’s most anticipated title with Black Ops to PC gamers around the world,” said Jason Holtman, director of business development at Valve. “We’ve collaborated with the development team to leverage the Steamworks suite of services to deliver the highest level of service to Call of Duty: Black Ops PC customers.”

“Steam has been a great partner throughout development of Black Ops,” said Mark Lamia, president of Treyarch. “We’re working closely together to take full advantage of Steamworks to ensure we deliver the most polished and secure PC experience that our community deserves.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops is slated for worldwide release the week of November 9 at retailers and via Steam. For additional Call of Duty updates, visit www.callofduty.com/blackops and also via Twitter @JD_2020.

Steamworks is a complete suite of publishing and development tools–ranging from product key authentication to social networking services–offered free of charge to publishers and developers. For more information, please visit www.steampowered.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

Call of Duty and Activision are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

This autumn, living rooms will transform into nightclubs letting budding beat chemists, singing sensations and all of their friends party together by firing up two turntable controllers and a microphone to experience their favourite music as they’ve never heard it before in Activision Publishing Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) DJ Hero® 2 – the follow-up to the #1 new videogame intellectual property of 2009, DJ Hero®. Picking up where the award-winning DJ Hero soundtrack left off, DJ Hero 2 spins together the hottest tracks blazing up the charts and legendary club anthems from the biggest artists in pop, dance and hip hop including Dr. Dre, The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and over 85 others. Fuelling the party will be a host of all-new social multiplayer game modes and innovative freestyle gameplay giving virtual DJ’s the ability to crossfade, scratch and sample in over 70 speaker-blowing mashups from the hottest DJ’s and Producers around the world, including Deadmau5 – part of dance music’s elite – who will be starring as an in-game playable character.

To celebrate the announcement, DJ Hero owners and all of their friends will have the opportunity to download, spin, scratch and battle a mix from DJ Hero 2 as downloadable content. The mix features the sultry sounds of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance”, mixed With the blistering beats of Deadmau5’s “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff.” The mix will be available for free from 8-14th June on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

“DJ Hero was the best music game of 2009 and with DJ Hero 2 we’re delivering a new easy to pick-up, challenging-to-master experience that all players can enjoy together,” said David Haddad, Chief Operating Office, Guitar Hero. “With new social game modes, the inclusion of full microphone support, all-new levels of creative freedom and an amazing soundtrack, DJ Hero 2 is the ultimate mixer of music and friends.”

“We’re improving upon all the gameplay elements from DJ Hero that gamers loved with the all-new freestyle gameplay and a host of new multiplayer game modes,” said Jamie Jackson, Creative Director, FreeStyleGames. “But we’re not stopping there either as the award-winning soundtrack is getting bigger songs from hotter artists that our talented crew of DJ’s is spinning into hits that fit the gameplay flawlessly.”

DJ Hero 2 will deliver the ultimate way for players to come together and party with a host of new multiplayer modes – including DJ Battles that pit DJ against DJ in mixes produced specifically for battle gameplay – and invite vocalists into the spotlight with integrated on-screen singing and rapping of lyrics and rhymes while bringing the party to life with jump-in/jump-out Party Play gameplay. Featuring the biggest dance, pop and hip-hop hits by the hottest artists everyone knows and loves remixed by world-class DJ’s in an all-new way, the game’s soundtrack delivers over 70 unique creations only available in DJ Hero 2. Further immersing players into the music, the game offers a heightened level of creative input and allows everyone to add their own touch, directly impacting the beats they’re spinning with freestyle scratching, crossfading and sampling. The game will also feature an all-new career-based Empire Mode where players start out as an up-and-coming DJ on the road to becoming the head of a major entertainment empire, all of which is founded solely on their success as a DJ.

Dropping this autumn, DJ Hero 2 will invite a wave of new digital disc jockeys to the turntables as the game will be available as a Party Bundle which will include a copy of the game, two turntable controllers and a microphone, offering the ultimate “party-in-a-box.” Gamers who experienced the #1 new videogame intellectual property of 2009 can pick up DJ Hero 2 as a Turntable Bundle featuring one turntable controller and a copy of the game or as standalone software.

-Brian

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- Dave

Tuesday it was announced that the first downloadable content for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be available March 30 via download on Xbox Live. The PC and PS3 versions will receive the downloadable content, but the date has yet to be announced. Activision officially named the DLC as the “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package.” Also announced, from March 12-15 Xbox Live Silver members can play Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox Live for free. There are no further details about the DLC such as price or content.

-Brian

The two Infinity Ward Executives that were fired by Activision are now suing for wrongful termination and breach of contract. Jason West and Vince Zampella were fired for insubordination on Monday and are now suing for an estimated $36 million for owed royalties for Modern Warfare 2 that they feel Activision is trying to avoid paying. Activision has only claimed that they are “disappointed” that a lawsuit was filed and that they have fostered Infinity Ward’s development with “the resources, financial support, and creative independence” that allowed them the success they have.

It’s hard to tell at this point what exactly is going on. The future of Call of Duty is not up in the air as Activision has already stated their continuing support of the series, since they own it. The only real questions now are whether or not Activision’s actions were warranted, and what happened with Infinity Ward to see this kind of action being taken?

-Cody Toothman

Activision announced on Tuesday, March 2nd, “The Company is concluding an internal human resources inquiry into breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at Infinity Ward. This matter is expected to involve the departure of key personnel and litigation. At present, the Company does not expect this matter to have a material impact on the Company.” The two employees to be fired were Jason West and Vince Zampella, two of the top employees at Infinity Ward. The only reasons officially stated were for “insubordination” and for “breach of contract”.

According to G4, people who seemed to be non-uniformed Activision “bouncers” showed up at the Infinity Ward campus prior to the firing of Jason West. Jason West was the co-founder of Infinity Ward and worked with the company for over nine years.

- Dave