New Infinity Ward Lawsuit Details
Activision allegedly created a "police state" atmosphere.
July 10, 2010
by Jim Reilly
An amended complaint filed on Thursday by the Infinity Ward Employee Group has offered up new, alleged details from the ongoing legal battle between the studio and publisher Activision.
Before and after Activision fired studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella in March, the complaint alleges Activision forced the Infinity Ward employees to "submit to secret interrogations" and that the publisher created a "police state" - like atmosphere and "hostile work environment" at the studio.
In a later meeting with the studio's employees, CEO Bobby Kotick also allegedly promised the group they would be paid their bonuses from Modern Warfare 2 in full. Kotick said "nothing will change" regarding bonus compensation, according to the complaint. But that apparently did not go as planned.
The complaint notes that "despite Bobby Kotick's oral statements to the employees of Infinity Ward to the contrary, Activision made a tactical and calculated decision to withhold $54 million of earned and vested bonus compensation from the Infinity Ward employees."
"At the same time, Activision breached its prior written promise that Modern Warfare 3 would not be the next game to be developed, produced, and delivered by Infinity Ward."
Later in March, Infinity Ward employees began to complain to Activision management about not receiving their bonuses. In an April meeting with Activision COO Thomas Tippl, he allegedly told the employees who kept demanding the bonuses to be paid to "get over it."
The complaint also alleges the reason Activision withheld the remaining $54 million owed was because they were afraid that employees would leave the studio and that Activision "would not be able to get Modern Warfare 3 to market by November 2011."
The Infinity Ward Employee Group notes they would not have left the studio had Activision, among other things, not fired Jason West and Vince Zampella, been paid their bonuses in full, and had been told the truth about the next game the studio was to develop after Modern Warfare 2.
As we reported yesterday, a trial date for both the lawsuits from Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella, and the Infinity Ward Employee Group against Activision has been set for May 23, 2011.
