Activision confirms Infinity Ward studio heads' departures; Publishing execs take over
According to the official statement we've all been waiting for, Activision has announced that Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella are no longer with the studio. Activision Publishing chief technology officer Steve Pearce and head of production Steve Ackrich will head up the development house on "an interim basis." Furthermore, Call of Duty-related business will now be overseen by Philip Earl (now ex-head of Activision's Asia-Pacific region).
We first heard rumor of the Infinity Ward shakeup in the wee hours this morning and saw a few clues throughout the day regarding the two, now ex-Infinity Ward heads. While Activision's formal announcement is certainly confirmation of the sudden changes, it lacks any real explanation. We've put in word to both Infinity Ward and Activision to learn more about the future of the studio and what caused the apparent schism.
