Analyst Predicts That Activision Will Close Infinity Ward - Games

[QUOTE=Gamespot] Janco Partners' Mike Hickey says Modern Warfare 2 developer likely to be closed after next map pack; Modern Warfare 3 duties to be split between two other studios. Earlier this month, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter weighed in on the departure of about a dozen employees from Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 developer, Infinity Ward. He said the studio could lose 20 more and the publisher would just replace them and still put out a competitive product. One of Pachter's colleagues today expressed a more dire appraisal of the situation. A beautiful house is turned into a smoldering pile of burned wreckage in Modern Warfare 2. In a note to investors, Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey said the Infinity Ward departures "have created meaningful uncertainty around the future of their Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise," not to mention the studio itself. Hickey expects that Activision will shutter the studio entirely after the next map pack add-on for Modern Warfare 2 is released. As for the follow-up, Hickey said development on Modern Warfare 3 would be split between two studios "not historically tied to the franchise." When that game does arrive, Hickey doesn't think it will quite live up to the blockbuster sales of its predecessor. He is expecting a fourth-quarter 2011 release of the game to bring in $738 million by the year's end, where Modern Warfare 2's sales total for roughly the same period was about $1 billion. Infinity Ward has been the center of turmoil within Activision since last month, when the publisher fired studio cofounders Jason West and Vince Zampella. They sued the company, which sued back, alleging that the pair had been plotting to start a new studio with chief Activision rival Electronic Arts. Within weeks of their termination, West and Zampella started a new studio with chief Activision rival Electronic Arts. A number of Infinity Ward developers jumped ship to join the new studio, dubbed Respawn Entertainment, while others simply resigned. This week, a group of 38 former and current Infinity Ward developers sued Activision for as much as $625 million, alleging the publisher had been withholding royalty and bonus payments due them.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.gamespot.com/news/6260500.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop%3Btitle%3B1[/url] It actually makes a lot of sense. Most of the important guys at IW have already left, and with Activision signing with Bungie for publishing rights for Bungie's new 'franchise,' and all of the bad PR tied to the IW debacle this actually would make a lot of sense.

Wait, you needed an analyst to guess this?

[QUOTE=xDrTran;21627885]Wait, you needed an analyst to guess this?[/QUOTE] An analyst has revealed that water is wet.

[QUOTE=XSarcYX;21627936]An analyst has revealed that water is wet.[/QUOTE] Hoh shit. That will make so many things make much more sense, thank you.

Bungie presents: Call of Duty: Future Warfare

give call of duty to valve wait for all 4 announced release dates to arrive game is released series is fixed

[QUOTE=nige111;21629167]give call of duty to valve wait for all 4 announced release dates to arrive game is released series is fixed[/QUOTE] 1 week later game is ruined due to hackers

^ What?

[QUOTE=LODY;21629239]1 week later server admins bans the hackers[/QUOTE] Fixe'd.

[QUOTE=kukiric;21629382]Fixe'd.[/QUOTE] More like 1 day or even instantly depending on server.

[QUOTE]This week, a group of 38 former and current Infinity Ward developers sued [B]Activision for as much as $625 million[/B], alleging the publisher had been withholding royalty and bonus payments due them.[/QUOTE] That part got my attention. :v:

[QUOTE=LODY;21629239]1 week later game is ruined due to hackers[/QUOTE] Since when has a Valve series been ruined from hackers and wasn't fixed? They take care of their community.

I'd kinda like to se IW bounce back from this, but of IW does close, Valve should pick it up.

They should be fucking closed for charging me for PC maps. Motherdickheads.

Well at least 25 employees have gone, so Activision have a Nuke ready to use.

Good.

[QUOTE=nige111;21629167]give call of duty to valve wait 15 years for game to develop game is released make the rest of the games on the same engine as full priced expansion packs[/QUOTE] Fix'd.

When has valve ever made full priced expansion packs? Valve can make games in a reasonable amount of time, look at L4D2. Valve at least caters to the community, and cares bout them. Unlike the greedy bastards at IW/Activision.

Also, they use the same engine because it works really well. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Uh no the Source Engine is pretty fucking outdated and I'll be pretty pissed if they don't make a new engine soon.

What do you mean by outdated? I didn't see anything wrong with TF2's or L4D 1/2's graphics or physics.

^ Agreed

Well he's probably referring to the original date when it was released, which was some time ago. Although yes, it could do with a major revamp, as of the moment hammer's limits are quite finite I believed to some of the more high-tech engines.

[quote]He is expecting a fourth-quarter 2011 release of the game to bring in $738 million by the year's end[/quote] That number sounds like pulled out of ass. He barely has idea who is going to make the game, but he knows the exact selling income in millions?

[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;21650334]That number sounds like pulled out of ass. He barely has idea who is going to make the game, but he knows the exact selling income in millions?[/QUOTE] Yeah that struck me as odd too. However, chances are the author of the article omitted other information the analyst used to draw up that number. After all, the things only a page long. What would make a bigger impact within that space limit? A full explanation for why they would lose that much, or a really big number?

and nothing of value will be lost

Predict my ass.

[QUOTE=Kylel999;21652214]and nothing of value will be lost[/QUOTE] There's no denying that they make nicely polished games, even if they have recently become raging moneygrabbing arseholes. Original CoD was about following the experiences of common soldiers and you pretty much invariably ended up dead like anybody else, in an attempt to move away from Medal of Honor's one man army stuff. Which is exactly what the new ones have become again. Pretty arsehole move by Activision if it happens though, since it's like saying they have served their purpose (Cash Cow Breeding) and aren't needed any more.

[QUOTE=cheesedelux;21652670]There's no denying that they make nicely polished games, even if they have recently become raging moneygrabbing arseholes. Original CoD was about following the experiences of common soldiers and you pretty much invariably ended up dead like anybody else, in an attempt to move away from Medal of Honor's one man army stuff. Which is exactly what the new ones have become again. Pretty arsehole move by Activision if it happens though, since it's like saying they have served their purpose (Cash Cow Breeding) and aren't needed any more.[/QUOTE] Agreed, CoD's 1, 2 and 4 were awesome. MW2 just feels to arcady now. At least all the important people from IW have decided to leave and form their own studio free from Activision's greedy hands. I for one am looking forward to what Respawn Entertainment will bring. As sad as it is to see IW go it is for the better.

[QUOTE=TheNerdPest14;21650001]Well he's probably referring to the original date when it was released, which was some time ago. Although yes, it could do with a major revamp, as of the moment hammer's limits are quite finite I believed to some of the more high-tech engines.[/QUOTE] Hammer is way better than "hightech" engines, because it is not MESHBASED as are all those. It's brushbased, which allows us to make buildings and stuff without modeling them in a modeling program. Which simplifies everything a LOT.