Activision calls it “insubordination” – IW forum admin calls it “New IP”

Posted By: Rob James

It happened oh so suddenly.  Without even a the slightest hint of an explanation, two key heads of Infinity Ward’s staff went missing.  They were replaced by two “bouncer-types” who showed up without warning and refused to explain who they were and what they were doing at Infinity Ward HQ.  To make matters worse, neither Activision nor Infinity Ward seemed to be addressing the matter.  Twitter feeds were quiet, news websites were pretty much in the dark, and everyone, especially Infinity Ward employees, were quite confused.  Then, another uncomfortable shot was fired across the bow of the entire video game community.  The current President of Infinity Ward, Jason West, left this post on his Facebook Page:

Jason West is drinking. Also, no longer employed.

Alright, seriously.  What the hell is going on here?

Right now, there’s very little info to go on.  One rumor has an IW forum admin posting that IW executives were in hot water with Activision because they were attempting to jumpstart a new IP and the “Evil Empire” wanted no part of it.  Activision has made it pretty clear they are far more interested in pumping out as many new Call of Duty games as possible, a fact validated by Treyarch’s current work on the next installment of the popular series.  Sadly, that post has since been expunged from the IW website.

Another rumor rolling around the digital water coolers of every blog covering this story is that Activision did this to avoid paying royalties to members of Infinity Ward’s staff responsible for the success of Modern Warfare 2.  This, again, can neither be confirmed or denied at this time.

More recently, Kotaku discovered a document filed by Activision Blizzard with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  The document was filed only hours before the West firing came down.  According to their sources, the company was in the process of conducting,

“internal human resources inquiry into breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at Infinity Ward.”

Furthermore:

“This matter is expected to involve the departure of key personnel and litigation. At present, the Company does not expect this matter to have a material impact on the Company.”

The “departure of key personnel and litigation” part of that document cannot be understated.  That document is online and can be download here.

Community Manager Robert Bowling has also addressed the issue, somewhat, by stating on his twitter feed:

“I should also say, while I appreciate all the calls, tweets, messages and hearing my ringtone a lot they’re in vain – as I have no info.”
(Source: G4tv.com)

So just what the hell is going on here?  Was Infinity Ward planning to move ahead on another project with or without the consent of their lord and master?  Did Activision feel it necessary to “shake things up” at Infinity Ward in order to protect their billion dollar cash cow?  Eventually, the whole story will come out.  The sad thing is, if the top guys at Infinity Ward were canned simply for desiring some kind of break from the Modern Warfare series, Activision, in taking this hard line approach, has sent a clear message: defy us and we will replace you without a second thought.