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Joyswag: Modern Warfare 2 'Stimulus Package' DLC
At long last, PS3 owners of Modern Warfare 2 can jump in on the Stimulus Package DLC. The $15 bundle adds five "new" maps, including two returning maps from Call of Duty 4. If you want a chance of scoring a free code from us, you'll want to become a Joystiq fan on Facebook. Here's how to enter: Be sure to join Joystiq's Facebook fan page at facebook.com/Joystiq. Then, leave one comment with your PlayStation Network ID on this Facebook thread. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec). Limit 1 entry per person. The entry period is now open and will end at 10:00AM ET on Wednesday, May 5. At that time, we will randomly select 10 entries to receive a code to download the Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package DLC (ARV $14.99). Codes will be distributed via Facebook. Please ensure your privacy settings allow for incoming private messages. Codes are only compatible with PS3 and require a copy of Modern Warfare 2 and internet access to redeem. For a list of complete rules, click here.
PSA: Modern Warfare 2 'Stimulus Package' DLC assaults PSN tomorrow
Looking to bolster your map count in Modern Warfare 2? Tomorrow, the Stimulus Package DLC deploys on PSN for $14.99, bringing with it five additional maps -- three brand-new; two return from Modern Warfare. For a quick rundown of the locales straight outta Robert "fourzerotwo" Bowling's mouth, check out his post on the PlayStation Blog. If you haven't managed to scrounge up enough change from under the couch cushions, don't fret: Infinity Ward is also turning on double the XP this week. So, even if you can't afford a stimulus package of new maps, you can at least whet your appetite for delicious experience points. %Gallery-89046%
Xbox Live Top 20: Modern Warfare 2, After Burner Climax reign supreme
Microsoft's Major Nelson has released his weekly report of Xbox Live activity today, featuring Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 and Sega's After Burner Climax in the top spot. With one last activity update to be released before the Halo: Reach beta, we anticipate an upcoming fight in Xbox Live list's top three. Bungie's 2010 release Halo 3 secured second place for the sixteenth week in a row with EA's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 closing out this week's three-hole. On the Xbox Live Arcade list, the collective biomass of classic arcade titles solidified Game Room in second place for a second week in a row while Capcom's Final Fight: Double Impact closing out the top three. Other notable highlights include Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Conviction jumping from ninth spot to sixth and EA Sports' FIFA 10 overtaking Call of Duty: World at War for fourth spot. The full breakdown can be found at Major Nelson's blog.
'Infinity Ward Employee Group' lawsuit documents: see them here
Yesterday's news that a third lawsuit had originated from the ongoing Infinity Ward / Activision breakup wasn't exactly a shocker, and a handful of revealing tidbits have surfaced from the depths of the legalese. We retrieved a copy of the latest lawsuit's full complaint document (found below in the gallery) and spent the evening scouring it for details on yesterday's allegations. For instance, approximately 21 of the 38 members of the "Infinity Ward Employee Group" have already left IW, with the remaining 17 still employed at the studio (or being "held hostage," as their complaint document puts it). All 38 group members are seeking anywhere from 10.8% ($98 million) to 13.6% ($123 million) of the $900 million in profit the suit claims Activision has earned on Modern Warfare 2 sales since it debuted last November -- a percentage claimed to have been worked out previously between said IW employees and Activision, under the "Bonus Pool Agreement" (the "BPA" is said to be "based on incomes earned from MW2," though nothing more specific is spelled out). Furthermore, the group is seeking "bonus/royalty/profit participation" from MW2's "sister games," which includes not just Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - Reflex, but also Modern Warfare 3, "if MW3 is ultimately delivered and marketed." Additionally, the suit alleges that, on March 26 of this year, Activision "made a partial payment of Infinity Ward's Fourth Quarter of 2009 Bonus Payment" (an undisclosed amount). When asked by employees "how much payments would have been had Activision not fired West and Zampella," representatives said they "would have received approximately 2.5 times the amount they were paid." This stands in stark contrast to claims made recently that IW employees who stay with the studio would receive larger bonuses. %Gallery-91967%
'Infinity Ward Employee Group' sues Activision for $150 to $625 million
Rather than the usual news of Infinity Ward staffers leaving the company, occasionally jumping on board ex-IW founders Vince Zampella and Jason West's new development team at Respawn Entertainment, today we have word that a group of current and former IW employees are suing Activision for breach of contract. G4 got its hands on a lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court by 38 plaintiffs -- a band of folks named the "Infinity Ward Employee Group" -- seeking "to recover between $75 million and $125 million, if not more, in compensatory damages." The group is also asking for another $75 to $500 million in "punitive damages." Allegedly, the employees of IW have received $28 million in bonuses, and are claiming to be owed another $54 million from just 2009. The rest of the treasure chest is sought for a gaggle of other reasons, ranging from "lost value on restricted stock units that Activision promised would vest" to MW2's "sister games," which seems to include the still-unannounced Modern Warfare 3. In fact, the group's lawyer Bruce Isaacs contends that, in holding the remaining employees based on claims of larger royalties, Activision has breached those employees' contracts. "Activision has withheld most of the money to force many of my people to stay, some against their will, so that they would finish the delivery of Modern Warfare 3. That is not what they wanted to do, many of them. My clients are entitled to their money. Activision has no right to withhold their money -- our money." The suit's legalese also claims as much, even going as far as to accuse the publisher of holding "[IW] employees hostage so that Activision could reap the benefit of the completion of Modern Warfare 3." Yikes! Update: Activision has responded to the lawsuit with this statement: "Activision believes the action is without merit. Activision retains the discretion to determine the amount and the schedule of bonus payments for MW2 and has acted consistent with its rights and the law at all times. We look forward to getting judicial confirmation that our position is right."
Modern Warfare 2's Stimulus Package hitting Steam May 4
We know PC gamers probably got their hackles up when Modern Warfare 2's first batch of new content, the "Stimulus Package," was given a release date on the PS3, but not their platform of choice. Don't fret, folks -- the game's Steam listing has been updated, and now includes a May 4 release date for the new content. As a reward for your patience, Steam will even knock $1.50 off the price of the maps for pre-orderers. See? Good things do come to those who wait. [Thanks Daniel!]
Pachter: EA, DICE and Respawn will impact future Call of Duty sales
Do you imagine that every morning, when Michael Pachter wakes up, he dons a black robe, a pointy hat, drops a bunch of stuff into a bubbling cauldron and just predicts? Yeah, we do too. What a life, right? His latest portent involves Respawn Entertainment, the new shop of former Infinity Ward-ers Jason West and Vince Zampella, and it goes a little something like this: the Call of Duty franchise will see lowered sales, thanks to more competition in what we like to call 'the near-superhuman military dudes blowing junk up' market. "I think that it is likely that future games will sell fewer units in the past, primarily due to increased competition from Respawn, DICE and EA games that will likely be in the same or similar genres," Pachter said. He also anticipates that many gamers will recognize that West and Zampella are off the franchise, but that "the majority of consumers will either not know or will not care enough to shun future games." The lack of Infinity Ward's branding certainly didn't stop World at War from moving a bajillion units.
Infinity Ward holdouts to receive extra helping of bonuses, says Activision's Amrich
Activision's newly hired community man Dan Amrich took to a Facebook forum recently to spell out the bonus situation for the remaining employees at troubled Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward. Develop spotted Amrich's information-laden responses, which echo and expand on claims made by Activision in its suit against former IW heads Vince Zampella and Jason West (we've clipped the pieces of the lawsuit pertaining to the bonuses and dropped them after the break for you). Specifically, Amrich says that employees who have left IW will not be receiving a cut of West and Zampella's now forfeited bonuses -- bonuses for Modern Warfare 2 were never paid, apparently. "Vince and Jason had very large bonuses; those bonuses are being redistributed to everybody else, to the people who did not allegedly attempt to steal company secrets," Amrich explains. "Activision is not pocketing that bonus money; it's still going to the people who work at IW. But you have to work at IW to get it, see? I don't want to see talented people screwed out of a paycheck any more than you do."
Guinness: Modern Warfare 2 had biggest entertainment launch ever
There's been some dispute as to whether Modern Warfare 2 had the biggest first-day sales presence in the entire entertainment industry. Sure, its $401 million launch day revenue topped literally every other piece of entertainment media ever released, but in terms of units sold, it was surpassed by the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book and ticket sales for The Dark Knight. However, in an attempt to clear up any obscurity, the Guinness Book of World Records proclaimed that the game had the "Most Successful Entertainment Launch of All-Time." Though we shudder to think that we live in a world where success is measured in the amount of money earned, and not the number of lives a book, movie or game touches, we suppose congratulations are in order. So, congratulations, Modern Warfare 2! Guinness says you did it.
Analyst ponders impact of MW2 'Stimulus Package' pricing and success
On IndustryGamers, EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich examines the economic impact of Modern Warfare 2's "Stimulus Package" on consumers, business and the future of DLC. He notes that "as an economist" he's glad a publisher tested the boundaries of DLC pricing, as millions of consumers (around 25 percent of MW2 owners) proved willing to drop $15 on the map pack. He points out that "if consumers deem it unfair for companies to overcharge their products, it is similarly unfair for businesses to unknowingly under-price their products." However, Divnich wonders about the long-term implications of continued high-priced MW2 DLC, should Activision go that route. He suggests that consumers could leave the Call of Duty "circle" for games like Battlefield: Bad Company 2, where the cost for new content over time appears to be lower. He also posits that "consumers could avoid the next iteration of the Call of Duty franchise, since again, cost of dedicated ownership is now much higher." Divnich explains that the current "situation" between Infinity Ward and Activision may cloud core consumer purchases of future DLC and the franchise, as well, compared to if everything had remained -- on the surface, at least -- hunky-dory.
EA: Activision shot its prize horse
We're fully ready to stop caring about the whole EA/Activision/Infinity Ward split nonsense, but until Larry King's divorce gets even mildly scintillating, there really aren't many choices out there. So here's this: Upon the news that Activision was raising its Q1 fiscal outlook based on strong sales of Modern Warfare 2 DLC, EA spokesperson Jeff Brown told IndustryGamers, "This is kind of like announcing: The race horse I shot last month has won the Triple Crown!" [emphasis his]. You know, we're all for internet civility, but you've got to admit, that's pretty funny, right? We think even BK would be like "Ahh, you got me, JB. You got me."
What if the Modern Warfare 2 credits were edited to reflect vacated Infinity Ward positions?
Out of the 100-ish people that Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward is estimated to employ, a smattering have left over the past few weeks. Whether or not the various folks vacated their positions due to the recent shakeup at the studio is unknown, but PC Gamer UK put together a convenient way of telling exactly who has been crossed from the studio's list of employees -- by editing the credits from MW2 to reflect the recent changes. Though the video neglects to cross off ex-senior animator Bruce Ferriz from the list, the 10 other employees certainly corroborate our reports. Unfortunately, given the near-daily losses the studio has seen, we're hoping that PC Gamer kept its Final Cut save file close at hand. Hit the break to check it out. [Update: Changed headline from "Modern Warfare 2 credits edited to reflect vacated Infinity Ward positions" to the above, since some of you didn't bother to read the actual story for context. For shame!] [Via GamePro]
Activision raises Q1 fiscal outlook thanks to WoW, MW2 map pack
Activision Blizzard raised its March quarter sales outlook today, expecting approximately $1.1 billion in revenues. CEO Bobby Kotick noted that the company is doing well due to continued demand for World of Warcraft (naturally) and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. He also stated that the company benefitted from the "record breaking launch" of the Modern Warfare 2 "Stimulus" map pack, which he claimed was originally expected to debut in the June quarter. Kotick remains cautiously optimistic about the next couple of quarters due to the economy and because "the majority" of Activision Blizzard titles aren't expected to launch until autumn. The company plans to announce the financial details of its better-than-expected March quarter on May 6.
Infinity Ward loses two more key staff, report says
Another day has seen the departure of two more senior staff members from developer Infinity Ward, Kotaku reports. Following yesterday's exodus of seven staffers from the Call of Duty creator and studio responsible for Modern Warfare 1 and 2, lead animator Mark Grigsby and lead character animator John Paul Messerly have updated their LinkedIn profiles (here and here, respectively) indicating that they are no longer with the company. Grigsby had been with the company for five years, working on Call of Duty 2, 4 and Modern Warfare 2. Messerly was an eight-year employee, having contributed to every title in the series produced by the studio. In his update, Messerly left the parting note: "So long and thanks for all the COD." For those keeping count, Grigsby and Messerly bring to 11 the total number of lead developers who have departed Infinity Ward since its studio heads, Vince Zampella and Jason West, were ousted by Activision in early March. Going by IW's company profile on LinkedIn, which puts its employee count at 97, it has lost more than 10 percent of them in just over a week. Activision has said that IW retains a "deep bench of proven talent" -- at least it does for another couple of months, at this rate.
Family Guy gets pwnd in Modern Warfare 2
Hey, did you ever want to see what it would be like for your fat, obnoxious uncle to take a stab at "the Call of Duties?" Well, you're going to have to undertake that quest on your own. But we've got the next best thing: Family Guy's Peter Griffin trying to play Modern Warfare 2. It's like every single stereotype about those 'rents that just don't get it rolled into one minute-long segment, which you can check out past the break.
Report: Four more Infinity Ward employees leave studio
Lead designers Zied Reike and Steve Fukuda, as well as programmer Rayme Vinson, have left ailing Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward, according to "sources close to the studio" speaking with Kotaku. Additionally, lead artist Chris Cherubini is confirmed to have left the studio. And yes, folks, this is the second story we've written today about developers exiting the Activision-owned dev house, bringing the number of employee departures since studio co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella were fired up to nine in total. As with other developers that left IW recently, little information has been given as to where everyone will end up -- none have been confirmed as moving to West and Zampella's newly formed Respawn Entertainment as of yet. Regardless, if previous reports about low studio morale and unpaid royalties were true, we wouldn't be surprised to see quite a few more IW departures in the near future.
Ousted Infinity Ward founders 'plan to have an announcement very soon,' lawyer says
"Since being fired by Activision, Jason and Vince have taken steps to regain control over their creative future and plan to have an announcement very soon," Robert M. Schwartz, attorney for ousted Infinity Ward studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella, told IGN. Responding to the claims made by Activision in the countersuit filed today, Schwartz described Activision's statements as "false and outrageous" and argued that, while West and Zampella did in fact hire a Hollywood agency to represent them and consider spinning off the studio, both of those actions were driven by Activision. Their rationale for hiring the Creative Artists Agency was only to "advise them in their negotiations with Activision, and not to breach their contract," and it was Activision itself who came up with the original spinoff plans for the studio, Schwartz said. Even if the claims were true, says the attorney, West and Zampella's actions haven't "had any negative affect on Activision -- none," before pointing out that "Modern Warfare 2 has been the world's most successful video game." Schwartz says that West and Zampella "would still be at Infinity Ward developing new games" if Activision hadn't "kicked them out." With plans to announce something "very soon" relating to their "creative future," we expect them to be back to developing new games. Just not at Activision, of course. And under an umbrella of legal intrigue. Full statement after the break:
Activision countersuit against Zampella and West seeks money back, alleges multiple acts of insubordination
Beyond the details we heard in the LA Times report from earlier today, Joystiq has obtained the entire 23 page complaint this afternoon (filed against former Infinity Ward co-heads Jason West and Vince Zampella by Activision), which details the publisher's claims about the duo's insubordination during employment. The claims detailed therein range from refusing to meet with Activision executives, to "engaging in a campaign to portray Activision and its management in a negative light to IW employees in an effort to solicit those employees," to slowing pre-production of Modern Warfare 3 as leverage in ongoing discussions with Activision. The suit even says that West and Zampella "refused to sign standard exit documents representing that they had returned all Activision property, including computer code, and would honor the confidentiality obligations that they have to Activision." Further, Activision claims that "on numerous occasions and during critical final stages of game development," West and Zampella threatened to stop production on last year's Modern Warfare 2 "in a bad faith effort to gain further leverage in their contractual relations with Activision." And during all this, the publisher claims that the studio heads were engaging in secret conversations "with Activision's direct competitor" (presumably Electronic Arts, though an EA representative refused to confirm that earlier today). As a result of these alleged actions, Activision's complaint seeks to "recapture certain equity from West and Zampella, and to recover, as a measure of damages, all compensation and benefits in addition to equity received by them during the period of their disloyalty." In English, that means that Activision is seeking an undisclosed fortune from the defendants, left up to the court to determine, but consisting of money the two earned during their amorphous "period of disloyalty." And there's a ton more in the complaint that we couldn't fit into this measly post, so we'd strongly suggest clicking through its 23 pages in the gallery below. We'll gather up some of the most notable bits and share them after the break. %Gallery-90176%
Modern Warfare 2 'Stimulus Package' DLC coming to PS3 May 4, worldwide on May 5
If you're a regular reader, you probably already know why we use the word "exclusive" in quotes so often. But if you're not, you might not know that it's because of situations like this, where the Xbox 360 "exclusive" Modern Warfare 2 DLC (a five map pack titled "Stimulus Package") is suddenly announced as heading to PlayStation 3 and PC. In fairness, as detailed by Microsoft to Eurogamer back in January, we already knew this particular exclusivity deal had a built-in expiration date. What we didn't know, however, was an official release date for the PS3 and PC versions. Infinity Ward community man Robert Bowling revealed the May 4 US release date for PSN via Twitter, also detailing a May 5 release date worldwide for PS3s and May 4 for PCs worldwide. Though he doesn't specify, we have to imagine that pricing will remain in line with the content's $15 tag on XBLM. We've followed up with Bowling for clarity's sake and will let you know the solid pricing details as soon as we hear back. %Gallery-89046%
PSA: MW2 online multiplayer goes free on Steam this weekend
Starting tomorrow, the six of you left out there with a Steam account who haven't played Modern Warfare 2 online in some form will get a free three-day pass to Murdertown (read: online multiplayer). Valve announced today that, "beginning this Thursday, April 8," the online multiplayer section of the game will become free-to-play, presumably ending sometime on Sunday evening (no time is specified for start and end, but we've followed up with Valve for a solid schedule). The announcement also notes that "There is no obligation to participate," though we imagine some totally boring editor somewhere cut off the original ending, which read "unless you're into having fun. Then it's an obligation." %Gallery-89046%
