Activision, Electronic Arts Settle Over Infinity Ward Lawsuit

It's been a busy day for the legal system.

Activision and Electronic Arts announced today the companies have settled their differences in the Infinity Ward lawsuit.

"Activision and EA have agreed to put this matter behind them," reads the brief joint statement from the companies.

Electronic Arts was implicated after it was discovered Infinity Ward leadership Jason West and Vince Zampella had met with the publisher prior to leaving Activision and Infinity Ward. Soon after their termination, West and Zampella formed Respawn Entertainment and signed a deal with EA for a still unannounced shooter.

Who owes who what money isn't for us to know, unfortunately. Details of the settlement were not released.

This does not mean the Infinity Ward lawsuit is over. The Infinity Ward part, involving West, Zampella and roughly 40 former members of the studio, goes to trial on May 29. Activision had sought a 30-day extension after changing attorneys but that request was denied.

This news comes just after details broke on an alleged covert operation run by Activision in 2009 to uncover "dirt" on West and Zampella. Read all about "Project Icebreaker"--yes, I'm serious--right here.

Man, will it ever end for sure for sure? Because I'm betting Activision will go after Respawn when it's game is revealed. Time will tell...

fawk

Somebody try and tell me that capitalism serves the people.

@FesteringNeon said:

fawk

Sorry bud. Didn't mean to steal your glory. The worst part is I got that quest like 2 years ago.

They settled for a picture of Bobby Kotick getting kicked in the nuts. Quote me on that.

This shit is getting intense.

@Tuggah said:

They settled for a picture of Bobby Kotick getting kicked in the nuts. Quote me on that.

@Gargantuan said:

@Tuggah said:

They settled for a picture of Bobby Kotick getting kicked in the nuts. Quote me on that.

@superscott597 said:

@FesteringNeon said:

fawk

Sorry bud. Didn't mean to steal your glory. The worst part is I got that quest like 2 years ago.

No that was a "fuck", mixed with Activision's Tony Hawk. A response fitting to the story outcome. I would have said "it's about time"... but it really wasn't.

The settlement is for EA and ActiVision to co-make a game called: Project Icebreaker.

Call of Duty 3 wasn't THAT bad guys

I was hoping this did not happen. I wanted a battle royale. Oh well.

Really curious about what happens to the FPS scene when all this shit settles down. 

"Who owes who" should be "who owes whom." h2h

So, did Activision drag Electronic Arts into this, or did they go to bat for Jason and Vince on one side of this conflict?

@AhmadMetallic said:

Really curious about what happens to the FPS scene when all this shit settles down.

Half-life 3 is released, making modern military shooters irrelevant again.

I can dream, can I?

@nintendoeats said:

Somebody try and tell me that capitalism serves the people.

what does this have to do with anything in the article?

@sephirm87 said:

@nintendoeats said:

Somebody try and tell me that capitalism serves the people.

what does this have to do with anything in the article?

People like game made by person A. In socialism, person A keeps making games. in capitalism, person A makes games once some people in suits who don't care about said games say it's ok.

Obviously that is the simplified version.

Respawn is just waiting for the next gen to annihilate the COD franchize.

FUCK YES! i cant wait to see what gets out in court.

Put on yer fedoras, people. This is gonna be a long summer.

@fisk0 said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

Really curious about what happens to the FPS scene when all this shit settles down.

Half-life 3 is released, making modern military shooters irrelevant again.

I can dream, can I?

Hopefully!

@nintendoeats said:

Obviously that is the simplified version.

No, that's the biased, dickish version.

wanting to change lawyers...not a good sign for Activision

@nintendoeats said:

@sephirm87 said:

@nintendoeats said:

Somebody try and tell me that capitalism serves the people.

what does this have to do with anything in the article?

People like game made by person A. In socialism, person A keeps making games. in capitalism, person A makes games once some people in suits who don't care about said games say it's ok.

Obviously that is the simplified version.

lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris#History

Note that Alexey went on to make more games - this time with corporations and not socialist governments.

@nintendoeats said:

@sephirm87 said:

@nintendoeats said:

Somebody try and tell me that capitalism serves the people.

what does this have to do with anything in the article?

People like game made by person A. In socialism, person A keeps making games. in capitalism, person A makes games once some people in suits who don't care about said games say it's ok.

Obviously that is the simplified version.

That's a pretty clumsy, out-of-nowhere kind of statement, in an attempt to apply your current political view on everything and expose it on the internet.

Calling it now: The next game West and Zampella make (Not the one they're currently making with EA) will be called Project Icebreaker before receiving it's proper title.

@nintendoeats:

socialism would be just as shitty as capitalism, cause it's people who are shitty. Replace guy in suits with the word government, and your assertion holds true.

aww that sucks. somebody is going to be getting the game series.

changing attorneys, man, SHADY

I hope both publishers DIAF so I could care less about who wins which lawsuit.

I love that old EA logo, way better than the current one.

@fisk0 said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

Really curious about what happens to the FPS scene when all this shit settles down.

Half-life 3 is released, making modern military shooters irrelevant again.

I can dream, can I?

First I laughed, then I cried. ...but yeah, this was the best post I've read all day. Thanks for that.

@nintendoeats: it serves the lawyers. They're people....supposedly.

@umdesch4 said:

@fisk0 said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

Really curious about what happens to the FPS scene when all this shit settles down.

Half-life 3 is released, making modern military shooters irrelevant again.

I can dream, can I?

First I laughed, then I cried. ...but yeah, this was the best post I've read all day. Thanks for that.

I dont think "modern" military shooters will really ever full dissapear. maybe become a little less popular but never truly gone either. Modern is a constant. always moving forward. its not something stuck in a period like WW II shooters were. We had plenty of Modern shooters before COD. maybe they were not in the lime light as much, but they them selfs are a constant. being Modern and all.

@Pachydermic said:

@nintendoeats said:

@sephirm87 said:

@nintendoeats said:

Somebody try and tell me that capitalism serves the people.

what does this have to do with anything in the article?

People like game made by person A. In socialism, person A keeps making games. in capitalism, person A makes games once some people in suits who don't care about said games say it's ok.

Obviously that is the simplified version.

lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris#History

Note that Alexey went on to make more games - this time with corporations and not socialist governments.

Socialism != Communism

@sephirm87 said:

@nintendoeats said:

Somebody try and tell me that capitalism serves the people.

what does this have to do with anything in the article?

People like game made by person A. In socialism, person A keeps making games. in capitalism, person A makes games once some people in suits who don't care about said games say it's ok.

Obviously that is the simplified version.

You have such poor grasp of politics that I'm not surprised at all that you don't understand something.

And yeah, it's a simplified version. Simplified to the level of a 11 year old strawman.

@Ghostiet: No, shhh, he's trying to turn this industry bullshit into something that will help his political agenda, by the hollowest possible means.

@Jackel2072 said:

@umdesch4 said:

@fisk0 said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

Really curious about what happens to the FPS scene when all this shit settles down.

Half-life 3 is released, making modern military shooters irrelevant again.

I can dream, can I?

First I laughed, then I cried. ...but yeah, this was the best post I've read all day. Thanks for that.

I dont think "modern" military shooters will really ever full dissapear. maybe become a little less popular but never truly gone either. Modern is a constant. always moving forward. its not something stuck in a period like WW II shooters were. We had plenty of Modern shooters before COD. maybe they were not in the lime light as much, but they them selfs are a constant. being Modern and all.

Oh yeah, modern military shooters shouldn't ever go away. I think the comments above were a little tongue-in-cheek. It's a question of game studios jumping on bandwagons, following the money, and the inevitable pendulum swinging. I wish we always had a balance of different types of games coming out, but alas, it seems like the last few years have had the bulk of the investment funneled into a small handful of specific game types.

I bet, in a few years, you'll find people clamoring for the COD type of game, as the industry is dominated by...whatever the heck comes next.

All that aside, I'd just like to see Half-life 3 some day.

Good news and I can't wait to see how this court case plays out

If Respawn names their first game "Project: Icebreaker" I can die a happy man. What better way to rub it in Activisions faces that they murdered them in court than using the title of the operation that made Activision lose the case.

I really hope Respawn wins this and gets to take the Call of Duty and/or Modern Warfare names. Fuck Activision. People saying EA is the worst company in the world are just butt-hurt arm-chair activists that don't really pay attention. EA may be greedy and get out of hand with DLC, but Activision is just plain EVIL.

I just came back from a media blackout after playing so much Diablo III. Man so many things to catch up on.

@nintendoeats said:

@sephirm87 said:

@nintendoeats said:

Somebody try and tell me that capitalism serves the people.

what does this have to do with anything in the article?

People like game made by person A. In socialism, person A keeps making games. in capitalism, person A makes games once some people in suits who don't care about said games say it's ok.

Obviously that is the simplified version.

In socialism, person A gets blackmailed, tortured, and eventually killed by government agents. In capitalism, person A continues to enjoy 1st world problems of his smart phone losing coverage.

Obviously, that's a simplified version.

In this thread: EA settles with Activision, Infinity Ward still going to court. SomeoneSeveral people strawman their political views on capitalism vs. socialism (geez guys, really?). Hopes abound that HL3 will shift the industry focus away from modern military shooters. And people want Respawn to name their upcoming project "Operation: Icebreaker" to spite Activision.

@PatientBeast: Notch said it best, the way to solve all disputes in gaming, is quake III arena.

@Oddy4000:

That's funny... I live in a socialist country and that certainly doesn't happen here. And no it is not because the government manages to withhold it from the people it just doesn't happen. Your views of socialism are so... American?

@AhmadMetallic said:

Really curious about what happens to the FPS scene when all this shit settles down.

Half-life 3 is released, making modern military shooters irrelevant again.

I can dream, can I?

aww that sucks. this will never ends. they are just waiting for call of duty to stop being good and then will release something.

I know I'll probably be disappointed, but I really hope Respawn's new game isn't yet another Modern Military Shooter.