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When Unprofessional Blog Posts Attack: Call of Duty Edition

Added by Jeff on Nov. 8, 2008 99 comments

In case you're wondering...

One thing I've found over my time covering the game industry is that there are a lot of common conflicts that take place between the development side and the business side of a game's creation. There also seems to be a lot of anti-internal-producer venom out at some external development houses. Get into enough unguarded, regular-guys-just-talking conversations with a guy who's working at a developer and I'd say you'll encounter some variant of this static more regularly than you might think.

The latest example comes out of Infinity Ward's Robert "fourzerotwo" Bowling, the studio's Director of Communications and Community Manager. He's definitely become one of the more prominent faces for IW. And yesterday he made one thing perfectly clear: he is not a fan of the way Infinity Ward's last game is being name-dropped to promote the next Call of Duty game, World at War.

From fourzerotwo.com:

Noah Heller - Stop Doing Interviews...
Seriously man…. You’re killing me!
If I see one more Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare google alert come through my inbox, that ends up being a COD:WaW article that is only showing up because YOU referenced Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare more times than you mention World At War….
Especially when you’re pulling shit out of your ass. Come on man, interview about your game. Not OURS! Call of Duty: World at War can stand on it’s own merits, leave ours out of it. Like this gem of a quote from today’s article on CVG…
“In the previous Call of Dutys it might take three or four shots from a bolt action rifle,” he explained. “We made sure that a single shot centre mass would kill that opponent because that’s the expectation of the player.”
WTF are you talking about?! “in previous Call of Dutys blah blah blah”. First of all, you didn’t work on “previous Call of Dutys”, so don’t talk as if you’re down with how / why things were designed the way they were. Second, you’re completely fucking wrong.
Bolt Action rifles are one hit kills in every Call of Duty we (Infinity Ward) made!!
I won’t compare it to World at War’s Bolt Actions, I can’t speak to that because I don’t work there. Just like you don’t work here, so please stop talking about our games.
A rule of thumb I like to use is…. when promoting your game. Promote YOUR game. Don’t compare it to another game, or reference what OTHER games did in the past, pitch YOUR game. I mean, you have lots of cool things you could talk about… like Nazi Zombies….
Can you guys please stop interviewing this guy, talk to someone who actually works on the Dev Team at Treyarch and knows what the fuck they’re talking about. Not Senior Super Douche Noah Heller from Activision - who apparently has never played the game and doesn’t even work at the developer.
Alright, I’m done ranting… but I can’t take another google alert of garbage coming through my inbox with bullshit quotes from this guy.

Heller is a Senior Producer at Activision who manages the Call of Duty series. He has been with the company since March of 2007.

You know, I think Robert's blog sort of speaks for itself, and I'm not really interested in "taking sides" or whatever, so I don't have a whole lot to add other than wondering how badly Infinity Ward wishes it could get one of those Bungie-style independence deals and get away from Activision's sinister-sounding annual release schedule. I'll just say that I suspect this has to do with more than just bolt action rifles. But hey, maybe I'm just reading way too much into all this.

I'd try to start a betting pool to see how long you all thought it would be before the original blog post gets removed, but at this point, it's been up so long that it might as well just stay up.

Hey, cheer up, everybody! Call of Duty: World at War ships next week! We'll have a review on Tuesday!!!!!! Video games!!!!!!!!

Filed under : Call of Duty, Robert Bowling, Infinity Ward, Activision, Noah Heller

100 Comments

PlasmaBeam44 is online
on Nov. 8, 2008

The sooner IW gets away from Activision and takes COD with them the better.

Octaslash
on Nov. 8, 2008

What a stupid way to lose your job. Activision owns Call of Duty, get over it

Your working on Activision's game, if you are really that hurt that another developer gets to play with your toy, then leave.

Scooper
on Nov. 8, 2008

I really hope IW. can get away from Activision and actualy make all the COD games. World at War is fine and all but I really wish it wasn't attached to the COD name because people will pick up WaW thinking it was made by "the guys that made Modern Combat". I guess this guy's just annoyed that the game he works on is being attached to something IW left behind, and really, for good reason.

Gump
on Nov. 8, 2008

Video games!!!!!!!!

lordofultima is online
on Nov. 8, 2008

Tell it like it is! WE DON'T NEED YOUR STINKING NAZI ZOMBIES! Or something. Yeah.

Mourer
on Nov. 8, 2008

Three words, Senior Super Douche.

Lewis
on Nov. 8, 2008

While theres a lot to be said regarding the marketing of videogames, this guy missed the first rule of getting your point across; remain calm.

AndrewB
on Nov. 8, 2008

I think what we can all take from this (if it wasn't already so very clear before) is that yes, Infinity Ward does have a gripe with other studios being given the reigns for Call of Duty. And why not? Everyone can agree that the one game not developed by Infinity Ward, Call of Duty 3, is the low point of the series. It mars the reputation of the series as a whole to the people out there who don't pay attention to who develops what game, and only care about that title on the cover of the box.

And when you keep using the name "Call of Duty 4" to promote World at War, you are tying the two games together. If World at War ends up being as disappointing as Call of Duty 3, you've now lost a percentage of your audience who won't pick up the next game based on that experience. So it's easy to understand why anyone involved with Infinity Ward would be miffed about this relationship.

I also have to agree that the sooner IW is given full rights to the COD series, the better. They have a passion for what is for all intents and purposes *their* game, and they do a hell of a job improving on their game with every iteration.

TooWalrus
on Nov. 8, 2008

I read that whole article imagining that Marcus Fenix was shouting it, lol

Homer39
on Nov. 8, 2008

The guy is right. Activision needs to stop mentioning COD4 in their interviews. Your supposed to be getting us to buy YOUR game not one that was released a year ago.

p4ddym1607
on Nov. 8, 2008

"I read that whole article imagining that Marcus Fenix was shouting it, lol"

lol

p4ddym1607
on Nov. 8, 2008

"I read that whole article imagining that Marcus Fenix was shouting it, lol"

lol

Death_Burnout
on Nov. 8, 2008

Crikey!

grainger
on Nov. 8, 2008

have any of you played/seen beta videos for waw online? call of duty 4 with a paint job anyone? world at war looks totally fucking un-original and has me pissed off, no doubt i'll still end up getting the game bacause i've always loved the series but i will play it with an undertone of anger at treyarch and activision!!!!

ZmillA
on Nov. 8, 2008

Games.

mubress
on Nov. 8, 2008

Way to go dude, you tell em!

Also, excellent use of profanities :)

Captain_Fookup
on Nov. 8, 2008

Played the Beta, came to the conclusion that it's a turdsammich much like call of doody 3.

Zatoichi_Sanjuro
on Nov. 8, 2008

I think Bowling has played the CoD: WaW demo and is rightly miffed they're comparing it with CoD4.

Also, having played CoD:WaW, bolt-action rifles do not always kill with one centre mass shot, even on hardcore. The hitbox discrepencies on that game are a frickin pain in the centre mass. And since they just took the game engine from Modern Warfare there are already hacks and aimbots abound on the MP demo.

I'd rather waste my money on Littlebigplanet than this dreck. That's right, I said dreck.

CleverLoginName
on Nov. 8, 2008

I can understand being passionate about your product, but you don't need to be a fanboy of your own company...

MasterSplinter
on Nov. 8, 2008

ouch.

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