IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

Modern Warfare 'Race Horse' Was 'Shot' by Activision, says EA

Posted April 15, 2010 by James Brightman

It's been a tough week for Activision Blizzard and Infinity Ward. At last count, the departures from the studio behind the blockbuster Modern Warfare 2 total nine [Update: it's actually 13], including some key programming and design people. The firing of studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella directly led to the formation of Respawn Entertainment, and Activision rival Electronic Arts has already benefited from the fallout, signing Respawn to an exclusive publishing deal (read our full interview here).

When it was revealed that Activision Blizzard filed a countersuit against West and Zampella, EA director of corporate communications Jeff Brown decided to take a little dig at Activision, commenting, "We don't have the time to comment on the many lawsuits Activision files against its employees and creative partners." Now Brown is at it again. Following the news today from Activision that the company raised its fiscal outlook thanks to the incredible success of the Modern Warfare stimulus pack DLC, Brown remarked to IndustryGamers,  "This is kind of like announcing:  The race horse I shot last month has won the Triple Crown!"  [emphasis his]

We couldn't hold back a brief chuckle upon reading Brown's statement. It's no laughing matter for Activision, however. The company is going to have to do its best to contain the mess at Infinity Ward and retain as much of the talent left as possible. In the meantime, EA is no doubt licking its lips just thinking about the IP that Respawn will create and they'll publish. 

James Brightman has been covering the games industry since 2003 and has been an avid gamer ever since the days of Atari and Intellivision. He was previously the EIC of GameDaily Biz.