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Activision v. Infinity Ward court date delayed
Former Activision employees and Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vincent Zampella are taking Activision to court on May 29, after a few years of legal back-and-forth negotiations and counter-suits from Activision. The date was initially set for May 7, but was pushed back at Activision's request.West and Zampella claim Activision owes them $125 million in unpaid royalties, and they seek the rights to the Modern Warfare brand.Activision's counter-suit is free to move forward as well, where Activision is asking for $400 million from EA, claiming EA stole its employees and that West and Zampella were consorting secretly with the competitor while still Activision employees.Zampella and West were fired from Activision in 2010 on the grounds of these supposed secret meetings. They soon after founded Respawn Entertainment and now have 40 former Infinity Ward employees in their ranks.
Canned Call of Duty: Devil's Brigade was like Inglourious Basterds on steroids
In 2007, while Infinity Ward was building the first Modern Warfare, Underground Development began working on a top-secret, third-person shooter in the Call of Duty franchise, titled Devil's Brigade, Vox Games reports. Based on a real-life group of ruthless, almost superhuman American and Canadian soldiers in World War II, Devil's Brigade was Activision's fallback if fans didn't get the switch to a contemporary setting with Modern Warfare.Devil's Brigade focused on tactical strategy, stealth missions and super-athletic Special Forces combat. The real Devil's Brigade scaled a mountain carrying more than 50 pounds of supplies and weapons to defeat the camp below in two hours, and they were known for infiltrating German trenches and slitting soldiers' throats, slapping stickers that read "The worst is yet to come," in German, on the dead men's helmets. Underground Development wanted to capture this essence for the game version of Devil's Brigade.But, as history shows, players did understand Modern Warfare. When Devil's Brigade was ready for its final green light, it got lost in the shuffle of Infinity Ward's success and the Blizzard/Vivendi merger. Activision closed Underground Development in 2008 with nary a whisper about Devil's Brigade. For now, we have some screenshots of the game and the memories of throat-slitting action that could have been.
COD4 Star Wars mod 'Galactic Warfare' hits final release
It's been a long time coming, but the Call of Duty 4 "Galactic Warfare" mod has finally been deemed ... er ... final. In the works for the last couple of years, the mod takes the classic shooter to a galaxy far, far away, injecting it with Star Wars characters, weapons and locations, even adding its own killstreaks (including airstrikes with TIE bombers and Y-Wings!). There are seven maps, featuring familiar locations like Bespin and Mos Eisley. The mod is available as a free download from ModDB.
Kinect Hacks: Gesture-based Modern Warfare, Zelda and Doom
YouTube user Demize2010 has been busy since the Kinect's release -- though some have managed to squeeze motion controls into one older title, this crafty modder has Kinectified three. Check out the videos after the jump to see his take on Modern Warfare, Doom and Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Call of Duty 4 art project selected for YouTube Play shortlist
In June, YouTube and the Guggenheim Museum launched YouTube Play. A Biennial of Creative Video. The Guggenheim describes the project as an initiate "to discover and showcase the most exceptional talent working in the ever-expanding realm of online video." The shortlist of entries was announced this week, whittling down some 23,000 submissions from 91 countries to just 125 videos. Among this select group is Josh Bricker's piece "Post Newtonianism," which juxtaposes footage and sound from real modern warfare with Call of Duty 4. (Bricker's video is embedded after the break.) The shortlist will be further reduced to 20 videos, as selected by a jury chaired by the Guggenheim's chief curator, and those choices will be featured at the museum in a special exhibit next month. Could it be? Call of Duty 4 ... in a museum?!
Buy Modern Warfare 2 bundle from Direct2Drive, get Modern Warfare free
Digital distributor Direct2Drive is offering a puzzling offer until August 6: purchase the Modern Warfare 2 bundle (which includes the game and both map packs) for $89.99, and get the original Modern Warfare for free.
Games on Demand: Call of Duty 4, Battlestations: Midway
It's all about war on Xbox Live Games on Demand this week. Up for grabs are two war, one from the history books and another inspired by more modern fare. Battlestations: Midway puts players in charge of sea and air skirmishes of World War II. Meanwhile, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is ... well, you're probably familiar with that one. As always, even in war, prices and availability vary by region. Xbox.com: Add Battlestations: Midway to your Xbox 360 download queue ($19.99) Xbox.com: Add Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare to your Xbox 360 download queue ($39.99)
Study says violent gaming doesn't have a major impact on sleep
A team of Australian researchers recently conducted a study to determine what effect -- if any -- late-night violent gaming sessions have on a young person's sleep cycle. Two groups of teenage boys were either made to play 50 minutes of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare or watch March of the Penguins while lying in bed. The results showed that the group who played Modern Warfare took only a few minutes longer to fall asleep than those watching the movie, causing the researchers to think presleep gaming's negative effects "may be more modest than previously thought." These results aren't entirely conclusive, as some have taken umbrage with the relatively small 50-minute testing session, which is Sony's recommended amount of continuous gaming time. Personally, we're not convinced Modern Warfare was the best game to get these kids' adrenaline flowing. Next time, we suggest a rousing round of Flower. [Via GamePolitics]
The Ant Farm talks successes of Modern Warfare 2 marketing
While we might argue that Infinity Ward's 2009 follow up to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, likely earned the lion's share of its sales through Infinity Ward's history of making quality games, building a strong and loyal fanbase, and, well, the very fact that it was a sequel to an insanely high-selling game, the marketing team behind MW2 would likely disagree. Speaking at this week's MI6 Conference (and picked up by VentureBeat), contract marketing team The Ant Farm discussed some of the reasons that the sequel's advertising campaign worked so well -- and helped the title sell millions more copies than it would have without. "With us, it became a challenge of basically breaking it down to 'how do we engage the core first?'," explained Ant Farm executive creative director Rob Troy. "By the time you see the invasion on US soil, which was a secret for a long time, you definitely wanna go out there and kick some ass." For him, the marketing campaign was about slowly doling out aspects of the story while keeping fans in the dark about specifics, and resulted in a resounding success. We have to imagine landing commercial premieres during major sporting events likely helped out the sales as well, not to mention those MW2-branded energy drinks. Also, hey, blowing up castles is always a good way to advertise your product -- let's not kid ourselves, folks. We've embedded the whole conversation for your viewing pleasure after the break.
XBLM listing reveals 5 maps, 2 CoD4 remakes in MW2 'Stimulus Package' DLC
We may have to wait until March 30 for Modern Warfare 2's first DLC, the "Stimulus Package," but thanks to an Xbox Live Marketplace listing for the map pack, we aren't in the dark anymore as to its contents. The blurb reveals the pack will contain "5 additional action-packed maps," including three all new ones ("Bailout, Storm, and Salvage"), as well as two remakes from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ("Crash" and "Overgrown"). "Bailout" is said to be "a multi-layered apartment complex," while "Storm" is described as "an open industrial park littered with heavy machinery," and "Salvage" is "a snowy junkyard fortified by stacked debris and crushed cars." Presumably, if you're reading about the details of unreleased a MW2 map pack, you already knew that "Crash" is a "war-torn urban environment" and "Overgrown" is set in a large dry creek. No pricing is set, unfortunately, though you can ogle the XBLM listing for now if it makes you feel any better (though we wouldn't suggest it). [Update: Clarified Stimulus Package DLC date of release.] [Thanks CL4P-TP!]
NPD: Wii Play is best selling 'game' of all time in the US
If there's a statistic measuring how well a game sold, you're likely to find Wii Play lingering in it somewhere. It's not only been the best-selling game of 2009, but also just recently made itself known as the top seller for the last decade. Now, according to NPD data (via GameSpot), the software-hardware hybrid has claimed another throne: top-selling non-PC US game ever. It's a pretty prestigious list and while no exact figures are listed (save for the bundle's October performance, selling a whopping 11.1 million units in that month alone), the other games listed should give you an indication of just how many homes Wii Play has invaded. Taking second place is Guitar Hero III, the first game to earn $1 billion in revenue, followed by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The others in the top ten are generally expected, including Activision's other $1 billion earner, Modern Warfare 2 (notable because, damn, that was fast!), along with a pair of other Call of Duty games. Head over to GameSpot for the full list.
The Batman remains atop UK sales charts
For a second consecutive week, Batman: Arkham Asylum has countered the incoming blows of Wii Sports Resort, leaving the brooding hero perched at the very top spot of the UK sales charts. Chart Track notes the Dark Knight's sales are down 27 percent in the second week, a slide softened by Sony's PlayStation 3 price drop.The real beneficiary of Sony's slim console is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which shot up seven spots on the charts with a 128-percent increase in sales. The PS3 versions of COD: World at War and Fight Night Round 4 also got a bump after the drop.Source -- Batman hangs on to No1 (Chart Track)Source -- All formats chart (Chart Track)
CoD 4: Over 10 million served, 2.8% survive 'Airplane' on veteran
Infinity Ward Community Manager Robert Bowling Fourzerotwo has released some player statisticalz from a little game called Call of Duty 4. The data, pulled on Jan. 3, reveals that 10 million unique users have played CoD 4 on Xbox 360 and connected to Live "at least once" after playing.Going deeper down the fox hole (yes, it's called a mixed metaphor), Infinity Ward checked specific data on certain levels: 71.1%, or 7,111,508 people have completed F.N.G. 68.8%, or 6,886,509 people have completed Cargo Ship. 46.5%, or 5,654,643 people have beaten the game on any difficulty. 2.8%, or 283,632 people have completed Airplane on Veteran difficulty. Comparatively, pulling the multiplayer numbers from PSN revealed 4,381,276 unique users. Now we just want to know how many tries it took that 2.8% to complete Airplane on Veteran.
Barrie teen runs away from home, parents blame online games
For nearly two-weeks 15-year-old Brandon Crisp has been missing after running away from his home. The Barrie, Canada, teen stormed out of his house during the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend when his parents took away his Xbox 360, arguing that his excessive play of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was affecting his sleep and social skills. According to earlier reports, Brandon told his parents he would run away if his system was not returned and, in an effort to "call his bluff," his father helped the teen pack his belongings. Brandon's parents now fear that he has been "lured by gamers" through the Xbox Live gaming service, "It could be organized crime or someone involved in Internet gambling. Pedophiles can stalk kids through these games," Brandon's father told The Star. While it's easy to argue how Xbox Live is being misrepresented in this situation the fact remains that Brandon, who purchased Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -- an M Rated title intended for gamers 17 and above -- with his own Christmas money, is still missing and his family is completely distraught. We hope for his safe return home.
Double XP, half-price maps invade Modern Warfare this weekend
Attention cyber-soldiers: Infinity Ward has dropped word that the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map pack will be made available for half price (400MS points) this weekend. Attempting to gain popularity for the struggling title, players will also be able to earn Double XP during ranked games beginning September 12, 12AM PDT and running through September 14 at midnight -- the same time-frame for the discounted maps.If you'd like to show your support for a title that barely made a splash during its release downloading the four map package would be a nice start. Infinity Ward needs your help and are even offering Limited Edition Prestige gamerpics for free as yet another bonus. Save a developer. Help this struggling franchise. Oh, wait. We were thinking of Soldier Of Fortune for some reason. Never mind, Modern Warfare sold like a bajillion copies.Ed. Note: Bajillion is SO a word.
Mutating the MMO
Over at Eurogamer.net, Rob Fahey has been taking a hard look at some of the conventions of MMOs and considering how recent innovations in non-MMO games development could act as a wake-up call. Using Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as a focus point, Rob points out the parallels between that game and conventional MMOs - a persistent player character, experience gained through tasks and through defeating adversaries, new weapons acquired, new abilities unlocked. Evidently, core gameplay elements characteristic of MMOs can be transplanted into different gaming contexts without making the new entity into a traditional MMO, and also while leaving some of the arguably less desirable elements behind, such as the grind. Rob recognises this evolution as much more important than it has so far been given credit for. Designers and fans have debated how to break the MMO model out of its entrenched conventions: CoD4 has (Rob argues) already done exactly that, while nobody was looking.
COD4 email pimps no. 1 Live spot a week late
The Call of Duty 4 versus Halo 3 drama took an interesting turn this week via an email sent out to CharlieOscarDelta.com subscribers yesterday (we got ours this morning). The email proudly proclaims "COD4:MW SOARS TO THE NUMBER ONE SPOT!!!" Obviously, the email is referring to Major Nelson's listing of the top Live games for the week of January 14, in which Call of Duty 4 managed to knock Halo 3 off the number one spot. What's funny is that the same list for the week of January 21, released two days ago, revealed that Halo 3 has once again claimed the top spot. We'd suggest that Activision put a little grease on the PR machine's gears the next time one of their games snags the number one Live spot.[Thanks to everyone that sent this in]
Last chance: win Call of Duty 4
Okay kids, as of this posting, you have exactly two hours to submit your final (and hopefully third) entry in our Fanswag Weekly giveaway. Should you win, you will receive a brand spanking new copy of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. We know you all like shooting things and occasionally blowing them up as well, so we suggest you make your entry posthaste. To do so, simply head over to the official giveaway post and follow the super easy instructions. It's so easy a highly trained monkey could do it.
Reminder: win Call of Duty 4 from X3F
Just a quick reminder that we're giving away a copy of Call of Duty 4 to one lucky winner for this week's Fanswag Weekly. We've changed things up a bit this time, allowing readers to submit one entry per calendar day (Eastern Time). So, if you haven't entered yet, you're already behind! Hurry up and enter today! If you have already entered though, now is your chance to enter again and maximize your chances of winning. Head over to the official giveaway post to submit your entry.
Joystiq tries Call of Duty 4 single player
Joystiq recently got to lay their hands on the Call of Duty 4 single player campaign, one of the less explored aspects of the game. Many players have had a chance to give multiplayer a try thanks to the multiplayer beta that ended last month. Overall, the largest impression gathered about the game is that it is not necessarily realistic, but hovers more closely to straight up action. Joystiq comments on its grand sense of scale and fast paced combat. A plodding, strategic affair it isn't, apparently. Still, regardless of the action focus, the game seems to present a solid single player campaign that FPS fans should be excited to play. Head over to Joystiq for full impressions.
