Call of duty heads to trial, Judge Rules Against Activision - Polidicks

[url]http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/call-duty-lawsuit-heads-trial-201970[/url] [quote] The multimillion dollar fight over [B]Activision[/B]'s successful "Call of Duty" video game franchise is on a path towards a trial after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday there are facts to support allegations that the game publisher defrauded two developers, [B]Jason West [/B]and [B]Vincent Zampella[/B], by firing them shortly before significant royalty payments were due. The lawsuit was first filed in March 2010 and highlights how some video game developers had ascended to A-List status. West and Zampella are credited with producing the first-person fighting game, one of the most successful franchises in video game history with more than $1 billion in sales. The two former heads of Activision subsidiary Infinity Ward were terminated by Activision after the company conducted an investigation that supposedly turned up breaches of contract, insubordination, and violations of company policy. The duo then took legal action, claiming that Activision's allegedly wrongful termination cost them more than $125 million in royalties. West and Zampella said that Activision had promised them the right to creative authority and autonomy and escalating royalty payments on future games. Activision then struck back with its own countersuit, accusing the pair of being "self-serving schemers who attempted to hijack Activision's assets for their own personal gain." Activision also detailed some of its findings from the internal investigation. Allegedly, top executives at video game rival [B]Electronic Arts[/B] had called the two and urged them to leave, even though they were under contract. Activision said this was a "hijack" and brought EA in as a co-defendent in a countersuit that claimed tortious interference, unfair competition, and breaches of fiduciary duty. Activision sought $400 million in damages. In March, Superior Court judge [B]Elihu Berle[/B] ruled that Activision had sufficient claims against Electronic Arts. On Tuesday, the judge ruled that West and Zampella had sufficient claims against Activision. Together, the decisions make it highly likely that the dispute will survive the preliminary stage, and barring any settlement, reach trial later this year or early next year.[/quote]

Go get 'em Jason.

[quote]West and Zampella are credited with producing the first first-person fighting game[/quote] What??? That line sounds even more retarded than "Halo invented FPS". Anyway, the odds are in their favor. Bobby Kockdick is going to have to pay up.

I hope the series fall though, I'd hate to see Call of Duty 10: Modern space warfare. Oh you know they would!

[QUOTE=certified;30519770]What??? That line sounds even more retarded than "Halo invented FPS". Anyway, the odds are in their favor. Bobby Kockdick is going to have to pay up.[/QUOTE] It doesn't say that?

[QUOTE=J!NX;30519785]I hope the series fall though, I'd hate to see Call of Duty 10: Modern space warfare[/QUOTE] You do realize these guys helped run MW2 into the ground, right? Even now that they are gone from IW I can't really forgive them.

[QUOTE=certified;30519770]What??? That line sounds even more retarded than "Halo invented FPS". Anyway, the odds are in their favor. Bobby Kockdick is going to have to pay up.[/QUOTE] 'The first-person fighting game' refers to CoD, not to FPS in general.

[QUOTE=certified;30519814]You do realize these guys helped run MW2 into the ground, right? Even now that they are gone from IW I can't really forgive them.[/QUOTE] I think you mean they ran call of duty into the ground, they still deserve their share of profits if the contract states it and if they're in the right.

[QUOTE=J!NX;30519785]I hope the series fall though, I'd hate to see Call of Duty 10: Modern space warfare. Oh you know they would![/QUOTE] Or stone age warfare. Can you imagine a FUCKING ROCK WITH A EOTECH SCOPE AND A GRIP.

[QUOTE=Ignhelper;30521852]Or stone age warfare. Can you imagine a FUCKING ROCK WITH A EOTECH SCOPE AND A GRIP.[/QUOTE] And [b]5 DIFFERENT SKINS[/B]

[QUOTE=certified;30519814]You do realize these guys helped run MW2 into the ground, right? Even now that they are gone from IW I can't really forgive them.[/QUOTE] are you seriously saying that you feel sorry for activision.

[QUOTE=CjienX;30521903]And [b]5 DIFFERENT SKINS[/B][/QUOTE] rock with orange tigerstripe camo

[QUOTE=certified;30519814]You do realize these guys helped run MW2 into the ground, right? Even now that they are gone from IW I can't really forgive them.[/QUOTE] You do realize that these are the guys that made CoD as famous as it is now in the first place, right?

I'm surprised that Activi$ion didn't just bribe the judge.

$400 million in damages? What damages?

[QUOTE=Ignhelper;30521852]Or stone age warfare. Can you imagine a FUCKING ROCK WITH A EOTECH SCOPE AND A GRIP.[/QUOTE] Actually, I would play that.

Jason and Vince, you keep at it boys. Even though I couldn't really give two fudge-packing sessions about Call of Duty most days, it's good to see that Beelzebobby is gonna have to pay tha dosh. And if he refuses, let's hope he gets blasted from the heavens, creating a massive hellish impact crater in the South Pacific, frozen up to his waist in dark ice, to chew upon the meager scraps of his former company for all of eternity. Guess what other demon shares a similar latter fate.

[QUOTE=ironman17;30522637]Jason and Vince, you keep at it boys. Even though I couldn't really give two fudge-packing sessions about Call of Duty most days, it's good to see that Beelzebobby is gonna have to pay tha dosh. And if he refuses, let's hope he gets blasted from the heavens, creating a massive hellish impact crater in the South Pacific, frozen up to his waist in dark ice, to chew upon the meager scraps of his former company for all of eternity. Guess what other demon shares a similar latter fate.[/QUOTE] If he refuses to pay I'll just send analrapist after him.

I hope Call of Duty ends after this. There needs to be better games in the spotlight.

[QUOTE=certified;30519814]You do realize these guys helped run MW2 into the ground, right? Even now that they are gone from IW I can't really forgive them.[/QUOTE] I remember that they were rushed.

They'll probably win, but the dent in Kotick's wallet won't be significant.

EA hi-jacks everything

[QUOTE=J!NX;30522167]Actually, I would play that.[/QUOTE] Same, I'd also play a Call of Duty: Medieval Warfare Oh boy a care package! What? it arrived by mule, well let's see what I've got It's a remote controlled rat infected with the plague, victory is assured :slick:

[QUOTE=s0beit;30523380]Same, I'd also play a Call of Duty: Medieval Warfare Oh boy a care package! What? it arrived by mule, well let's see what I've got It's a remote controlled rat infected with the plague, victory is assured :slick:[/QUOTE] Tactical black plague incoming!

[QUOTE=ironman17;30522637]Jason and Vince, you keep at it boys. Even though I couldn't really give two fudge-packing sessions about Call of Duty most days, it's good to see that Beelzebobby is gonna have to pay tha dosh. And if he refuses, let's hope he gets blasted from the heavens, creating a massive hellish impact crater in the South Pacific, frozen up to his waist in dark ice, to chew upon the meager scraps of his former company for all of eternity. Guess what other demon shares a similar latter fate.[/QUOTE] justin bieber

[QUOTE=johan_sm;30523443]Tactical black plague incoming![/QUOTE] Damnit Johan, come here and clean my desk of all the soda I snorted out over it. :frown:

I would rather play Call of Duty: Hyper-realistic lawsuit simulation.

[QUOTE=s0beit;30523380]Same, I'd also play a Call of Duty: Medieval Warfare Oh boy a care package! What? it arrived by mule, well let's see what I've got It's a remote controlled rat infected with the plague, victory is assured :slick:[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=johan_sm;30523443]Tactical black plague incoming![/QUOTE] Dude, we could create the best ever COD since the originals with an idea like this. maybe at some point in the game... donkey racing.

[QUOTE=Zethiwag;30523835]justin bieber[/QUOTE] Sadly no. I was referencing Dante's Divine Comedy, notably Inferno. That was what happened when Satan got kicked outta Heaven; he impacted into the Earth like a meteor, and was frozen up to his waist in ice, his three mouths chewing on Brutus, Cassius and Judas for all eternity.

[QUOTE=ironman17;30522637]Beelzebobby[/QUOTE] Shit son, that's an insane nick name for the bugger! I'm totally stealing that for my own use.