Fired IW Heads Held Call of Duty Franchise “Hostage"

12 Apr 2010 at 09:55:45 by Andy Alderson

Activision has filed a countersuit against fired Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella.

Following news of West and Zampella's suit against the company, Activision filed a cross-complaint that describes its former employees as “insubordinate, self-serving schemers.”

The document (uncovered by IGN) alleges that the duo held the Modern Warfare franchise “hostage unless Activision acceded to their demands that were incompatible with their contractual commitments to Activision and their fiduciary duties to the company.” As a result, Activision has apparently had to commit "additional resources" to the development of Modern Warfare 3 which has been delayed by the controversy.

Elsewhere in the document, West and Zampella are also accused of holding meetings and negotiations with Activision's “closest competitor” and witholding “compensation” for Infinity Ward employees in order to make them easier to poach once the heads had left the company.

West and Zampella were fired from their positions at Infinity Ward at the beginning of March and subsequently filed a lawsuit against Activision claiming unpaid royalties for their latest title Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

For more on the West and Zampella story, check out our column here.

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