Modern Warfare update: Quarter of Infinity Ward has quit

[Roger Rambo]

Link here

Spoiler for article:

The exodus from Modern Warfare developers Infinity Ward continues at a breakneck pace, with news today that a further eight employees have left the studio in the wake of the "Legal Warfare" showdown.

In addition to the five men who left on Friday, we've learned that three more - level designer Keith Bell, designer Charlie Wiederhold and level designer Preston Glenn - also packed up and left the Activision-owned Infinity Ward at the end of last week.

Adding to these are five more, all of whom left yesterday: lead character artist Joel Emslie, weapons artist Ryan Lastimosa, artist Brad Allen, lead programmer Robert Field and our first non-developmental one of the bunch, HR/recruitment specialist Kristin Cotterell.

That brings us to a staggering 26 employees in total to have left Infinity Ward since the drama began, a tally which constitutes the bulk of the studio's creative and programming "brains trust".

There's no official word yet on where these ex-employees have ended up, but...yeah.

To put this in perspective, I believe Infinity War had about 80 employee's in total...26 of them are no longer with the company.

With all the legal controversy over who has the rights to the Modern Warfare games and the studio Activision plans to have make it bleeding out it's talent with no end in sight, it may be awhile before we see another Modern Warfare game.

[Arbitres]

mmmm... How I love me wrafere.

Of course, I'm not surprised a quarter has quit. They work and they are hardly recognized, don't blame them.

[SaintessHeart]

I don't think it is going to make any difference, not at least in the short run.

After EA bought over Westwood, it took them over 7 years to diss off fans with C&C 4. Regarding the rights of MW in Infinity Ward, I have a feeling that it is going to be taken over by Activision.

There is no lack of manpower from hiring. But to make something that will click with the gamers....that will be dependent on the mentoring of the senior staff leftover at there.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by Arbitres

mmmm... How I love me wrafere.

Of course, I'm not surprised a quarter has quit. They work and they are hardly recognized, don't blame them.

I think the biggest issue is really what's going on with the bonus situation. The big reason why this entire mass quieting is hard to fathom is because of the very generous bonuses that almost everyone in the company had slated to them for their work on Modern Warfare 2. To have so many of them quieting and possibly losing those bonuses suggests that

A:The work conditions that Activision created were so horrible they decided the bonuses weren't worth it. Considering the amount of money, this would require near comically over the top bad management on Activisions part.

B:The average Infinity Ward employee is not confident that he'll get the bonus money regardless of what happens.

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Regarding the rights of MW in Infinity Ward, I have a feeling that it is going to be taken over by Activision.

This is up in the air. In the suit made by the IW ceo's, they claimed they had an agreement with Activision that Infinity Ward would have full control of all Call of Duty Games set post Vietnam (Modern Warfare). I'm not a legal expert, but it doesn't seem inconceivable that if what they said turned out to be true that the Judge could lay down a very penalizing ruling for Activision.

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

There is no lack of manpower from hiring. But to make something that will click with the gamers....that will be dependent on the mentoring of the senior staff leftover at there.

It isn't just manpower. It's organization. Right now the organization structure at IW is getting gutted. The new IW that arises after all this isn't going to be the experianced one that produced both the Modern Warfares. It's gonna be cobbled together and on very shaky foundations, and time to grow stronger. With that, along with the legal wrenches being thrown into the game design process, it's worth questioning whether or not Activision can churn out another Modern Warfare by next year.

[Gin]

Sorry, but why did they quit? I haven't heard about any scandals or anything.

This doesn't really effect me since I think MW games are over-rated garbage.

[Jazzrat]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

I think the biggest issue is really what's going on with the bonus situation. The big reason why this entire mass quieting is hard to fathom is because of the very generous bonuses that almost everyone in the company had slated to them for their work on Modern Warfare 2. To have so many of them quieting and possibly losing those bonuses suggests that

A:The work conditions that Activision created were so horrible they decided the bonuses weren't worth it. Considering the amount of money, this would require near comically over the top bad management on Activisions part.

B:The average Infinity Ward employee is not confident that he'll get the bonus money regardless of what happens.

Actually, it's more of an trust issue now with between IW staff and Activision. In reality, a lot of people quit not because of the monetary issue but because of management. Not to mention, the resigned staff is reforming around a new studio, Respawn so employment wasnt a factor to their resignation.

Many people are very willing to give up on the bonus if they think you are cheating/shafting them.

[FlareKnight]

Wow things are just getting more extreme. Link

But yeah now even more (38) employees are going to sue Activision. This is just getting messier and could take quite a while to resolve. Not sure how all the law suits will turn out, but either way Activision has gotten itself into quite the situation.

[demonix]

Originally Posted by Gin

Sorry, but why did they quit? I haven't heard about any scandals or anything.

This doesn't really effect me since I think MW games are over-rated garbage.

It's because Activision sacked two bosses in infinity ward (for insubordination) and they went and created their own company with help from EA (called respawn entertainment) and some of the people that have upped sticks and left infinity ward have gone over to them.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by demonix

It's because Activision sacked two bosses in infinity ward (for insubordination) and they went and created their own company with help from EA (called respawn entertainment)

That's what Activision says happens. The IW heads assert that Activision was manufacturing a reason to fire them.

It'll get decided in court.

Originally Posted by demonix

and some of the people that have upped sticks and left infinity ward have gone over to them.

More than a fourth of the company has quit with nothing so far indicating that even more won't in the near future. Characterizing it as some people had issues doesn't seem fairly accurate at this point, especially considering these people are quitting under circumstances that may lose them bonuses.

[WanderingKnight]

moneyprinting videogame company in a greed legalbomb non-shocker

Call of Duty games are way past their prime, anyways, but I'm pretty sure the retarded masses are going to keep buying turd after turd companies with CEOs like this one (oh hai thar) keep on churning out. Modern Warfare 2 was especially shitty.

Remember folks, a game is not profitable if you can't make a (pretty much worthless and unchanged) sequel every year after its release or sell 30 peripherals per copy while alienating your developers and instilling a culture of pessimism and hopelessness in them.

Fuck the video game industry.

[WanderingKnight]

Oh, and also by the way, fuck video game "journalism".

That is one of the most ridiculous, shittiest articles I've ever read--I had heard this woman, Leigh Alexander, was a twat, but I never thought she could go that far. It's like she's almost laughing in our (and, especially, the overexploited developers') faces.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

Remember folks, a game is not profitable if you can't make a (pretty much worthless and unchanged) sequel every year after its release or sell 30 peripherals per copy while alienating your developers and instilling a culture of pessimism and hopelessness in them.

Fuck the video game industry.

Didn't that strategy end up failing for EA, because people stop getting excited about a new "Game series #_____" coming out every year?

[SaintessHeart]

Kotick is a dick. He doesn't have that "creative digital design" or "try new things" sense, yet he forces his own retro-biz-style idiocy upon his employees.

He could have made a better politician than a CEO in a gaming company. Heck he doesn't even have vision, nor any want of the market share, all he is interested is in the money lining his pockets.

[Lizzie]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

He could have made a better politician than a CEO in a gaming company.

Hate to take this completely off topic but we don't need more politicians, especially not of his sort.

[WanderingKnight]

Didn't that strategy end up failing for EA, because people stop getting excited about a new "Game series #_____" coming out every year?

You need to learn that people get excited over whatever overhyped turd shitty videogame publishers want to sell them.

Good games are far and few. Probably the only respectable game developers that still remain are still doing things for the arcades in Japan, but in the regular consumer console market? I'd be hard pressed to find one.

[MeoTwister5]

And it's effective marketing in the end. Say what you want about developers and publishers and their PR/Hype machines: they get the job done of raking in the cash. They're still a capitalist machine and moolah will always be the altar in which they serve, not creativity.

Which is sort of ironic for Bobby. If all he really wanted was to line his pockets (and investors too) with money then fucking over one of your top selling IPs of all time and getting sued in the process whilst alienating a good chunk of your fanbase clearly isn't the work of a man with all his business marbles. I'm actually surprised Blizzard is still rather outside his sphere of asshattery.

Once he does decide to fuck over Blizzard... well there's going to be hell to pay, not to mention a declaration of war from South Korea.

[Last Sinner]

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

moneyprinting videogame company in a greed legalbomb non-shocker

Call of Duty games are way past their prime, anyways, but I'm pretty sure the retarded masses are going to keep buying turd after turd companies with CEOs like this one (oh hai thar) keep on churning out. Modern Warfare 2 was especially shitty.

Remember folks, a game is not profitable if you can't make a (pretty much worthless and unchanged) sequel every year after its release or sell 30 peripherals per copy while alienating your developers and instilling a culture of pessimism and hopelessness in them.

Fuck the video game industry.

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

Oh, and also by the way, fuck video game "journalism".

That is one of the most ridiculous, shittiest articles I've ever read--I had heard this woman, Leigh Alexander, was a twat, but I never thought she could go that far. It's like she's almost laughing in our (and, especially, the overexploited developers') faces.

So true...

There's only one video game reviewer I have time for. Ben 'Yahtzee' Crosshaw, an Englishman living in Australia who does regular parody reviews for The Escapist magazine as the "Zero Punctuation' sketch. His review of CoD: MW2 summed everything up perfectly. Especially the flaws within Infinity Ward. He still found it a decent game though. Decent as in dryly amusing in the desert moments before you get cooked by a nuke.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/vide...dern-Warfare-2

Front page of the collection of reviews:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/vide...tuation?page=1

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

I'm actually surprised Blizzard is still rather outside his sphere of asshattery.

Once he does decide to fuck over Blizzard... well there's going to be hell to pay, not to mention a declaration of war from South Korea.

I'm not sure this is going to happen because Blizzard established their relationship with a far greater position of strength than IW did. When Activision picked them up they were just a tiny little start up studio. Blizzard was an industry giant. That's why it was called a merger between Blizzard and Activision, and not an acquisition of Blizzard by Activision. My understanding is that Blizzard management has actual authority within the new company, rather than the fleeting promise given to IW management to be able to operate independently, while they still had a chain around their neck.

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

You need to learn that people get excited over whatever overhyped turd shitty videogame publishers want to sell them.

I avoided the whole hype thing because the version I was planning to get (PC) seemed to be taking a step back over the previous installment in quality of online play (lower player capacity, no dedicated servers) so I simply decided to not buy it.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

You need to learn that people get excited over whatever overhyped turd shitty videogame publishers want to sell them.

Good games are far and few. Probably the only respectable game developers that still remain are still doing things for the arcades in Japan, but in the regular consumer console market? I'd be hard pressed to find one.

Like the Bemani series of music games? OH HELL YEAH!

At least it offered a solace for someone who can never play a RL guitar again due to a wrist injury.

Originally Posted by Lizzie

Hate to take this completely off topic but we don't need more politicians, especially not of his sort.

Unfortunately, 80% of the politicians in this world are like that. Eg - Bush Jr.

This is one reason why I never pay much attention to politics unless it directly affects the world finance and economy to a large proportion. They like to mince their words and call themselves politically correct.

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

Once he does decide to fuck over Blizzard... well there's going to be hell to pay, not to mention a declaration of war from South Korea.

Blizzard has got more freedom for their development because it makes up a major slice of Activision's pie in the game market. In fact, if they break, they are still good to churn out their own games : it is just that they need a publisher, and I am sure EA won't mind showering the employees with beers and catgirls.

And yeah, MW2 sucks. Thank goodness I didn't pay $69.00 for it.

[Gin]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

Didn't that strategy end up failing for EA, because people stop getting excited about a new "Game series #_____" coming out every year?

I'm pretty sure a bunch of people still crap their pants whenever a new Madden game comes out, but I'm not sure if Madden is from EA.