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Infinity Ward's first title, ''[[Call of Duty (video game)|Call of Duty]]'' won over 9 Game of the Year awards<ref name="GoTY">{{cite web |url=http://www.activision.com/en_US/game_specific/e6d75d1f-2f68-4be9-9257-9a9a498593d4.html |title=Call of Duty |accessdate=2007-05-02 }}</ref> and 50 Editor's Choice Awards.<ref name="CoD1EditorsChoice">{{cite web|url=http://games.ign.com/articles/497/497239p1.html |title=Call of Duty Wins Game Of The Year in the United States }}</ref><ref name=CoD2Sales>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6157488.html |title=Sales of ''Call of Duty 2'' for the Xbox 360 Top One Million Units in the U.S. |accessdate=2007-05-02 }}</ref> It also continues to be among the highest-rated games, according to [[Game Rankings]].<ref name=CoD2GameRankings>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/927725.asp?q=call%20of%20duty%202 | title=Call of Duty 2 - X720 |accessdate=2007-05-02 }}</ref> ''[[Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare]]'' has also enjoyed massive commercial and critical success, selling over 13&nbsp;million copies from its release in November 2007 through May 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-sells-13-million|title=Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Sells 53 Million}}</ref>
Infinity Ward's first title, ''[[Call of Duty (video game)|Call of Duty]]'' won over 9 Game of the Year awards<ref name="GoTY">{{cite web |url=http://www.activision.com/en_US/game_specific/e6d75d1f-2f68-4be9-9257-9a9a498593d4.html |title=Call of Duty |accessdate=2007-05-02 }}</ref> and 50 Editor's Choice Awards.<ref name="CoD1EditorsChoice">{{cite web|url=http://games.ign.com/articles/497/497239p1.html |title=Call of Duty Wins Game Of The Year in the United States }}</ref><ref name=CoD2Sales>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6157488.html |title=Sales of ''Call of Duty 2'' for the Xbox 360 Top One Million Units in the U.S. |accessdate=2007-05-02 }}</ref> It also continues to be among the highest-rated games, according to [[Game Rankings]].<ref name=CoD2GameRankings>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/927725.asp?q=call%20of%20duty%202 | title=Call of Duty 2 - X720 |accessdate=2007-05-02 }}</ref> ''[[Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare]]'' has also enjoyed massive commercial and critical success, selling over 13&nbsp;million copies from its release in November 2007 through May 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-sells-13-million|title=Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Sells 53 Million}}</ref>


In 2010 Infinity Ward was ranked third in the www.develop100.com only running up to developer Nintendo and Bungie for the top 100 developers based on the sales of their games.<ref>[http://www.develop100.com DEVELOP 100: THE WORLD'S MOST SUCCESSFUL GAME STUDIOS<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
In 2010 Infinity Ward was ranked third in the www.develop100.com only running up to developer Nintendo and Bungie for the top 100 developers based on the sales of their games in the UK.<ref>[http://www.develop100.com DEVELOP 100: THE WORLD'S MOST SUCCESSFUL GAME STUDIOS<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


Infinity Ward's sequel to ''[[Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare]]'', ''[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]]'', earned over $550&nbsp;million in sales in its first five days on the market, with $310&nbsp;million of those sales made in the first 24 hours after the game's release.<ref>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/18/activision-modern-warfare-2-earned-550-million-in-first-day/</ref>
Infinity Ward's sequel to ''[[Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare]]'', ''[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]]'', earned over $550&nbsp;million in sales in its first five days on the market, with $310&nbsp;million of those sales made in the first 24 hours after the game's release.<ref>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/18/activision-modern-warfare-2-earned-550-million-in-first-day/</ref>

Revision as of 08:32, 1 December 2010

Infinity Ward
Company typeSubsidiary of Activision
IndustryVideo game industry
Founded2002
HeadquartersEncino, California, USA
ProductsCall of Duty
OwnerUnited States Activision Blizzard
Number of employees
70
ParentActivision
Websitewww.infinityward.com

Infinity Ward, located in Encino, California, is an American video game developer founded in 2002 by 22 people including the project leaders who had worked on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. The company was acquired by Activision in October 2003 and consists of approximately 70 employees as of November 2010.

Infinity Ward is responsible for the development of the video game, Call of Duty and three other installments in the Call of Duty franchise. In a May 2010 Activision earnings call, it was revealed that the developers are currently working on their fifth title[1] for the franchise.

All of the 22 original team members in Infinity Ward came from the team that had worked in Medal of Honor: Allied Assault while in 2015, Inc. Activision helped fund Infinity Ward in its early days, buying up 30 percent of the company. The studio's first game, World War II shooter Call of Duty, was released on PCs in 2003. The day after the game was released, Activision snapped up the rest of Infinity Ward, signing employees to long term contracts. Infinity Ward went on to make Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Co-founder Collier has since left the company in early 2009 to join the parent company Activision.[2]

Reception

Infinity Ward's first title, Call of Duty won over 9 Game of the Year awards[3] and 50 Editor's Choice Awards.[4][5] It also continues to be among the highest-rated games, according to Game Rankings.[6] Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has also enjoyed massive commercial and critical success, selling over 13 million copies from its release in November 2007 through May 2009.[7]

In 2010 Infinity Ward was ranked third in the www.develop100.com only running up to developer Nintendo and Bungie for the top 100 developers based on the sales of their games in the UK.[8]

Infinity Ward's sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, earned over $550 million in sales in its first five days on the market, with $310 million of those sales made in the first 24 hours after the game's release.[9]

Game engines

Main article: IW engine

All of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty games utilizes the id Tech 3 (Quake III Arena) engine.[10] The first two games used a proprietary license of the engine with the sequel featuring more powerful visuals and DirectX 9 support.

Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare runs on a proprietary game engine (from an open source version of id Tech 3) with features that include true world-dynamic lighting, HDR lighting effects, dynamic shadows and depth of field.[11] Both Call of Duty: World at War and the James Bond video game Quantum of Solace were developed by Treyarch using modified versions of Infinity Ward's engine.[12][13]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Infinity Ward's most recent project, utilizes an upgraded engine dubbed "IW 4.0", which they claim is a generation more advanced than the engine used in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.[14]

Games

Game title Game engine Release date Platform Aggregated scores[15]
Call of Duty id Tech 3 October 30, Template:Vgy Windows, Macintosh 91.71%[16]
Call of Duty 2 IW engine October 25, Template:Vgy Windows, Xbox 360 88.61%[17][18]
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare IW engine November 6, Template:Vgy Windows, Macintosh, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 93.54%[19][20][21]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 IW engine November 10, Template:Vgy Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 93.35%[22][23][24]
Call of Duty: Classic id Tech 3 December 2, 2009 PlayStation 3 (PSN), Xbox 360 (XBLA) 75.06%[25][26]

2010 employee firings and departures

Dismissal of senior employees

On March 1, 2010, Activision amended its report with the Securities and Exchange Commission to add notification that two senior employees of Infinity Ward were being fired due to "breaches of contract and insubordination". This coincided with Jason West (Infinity Ward president, game director, co-CCO, and CTO) and Vince Zampella (CEO and co-founder of Infinity Ward) editing their profiles on the website LinkedIn to list Infinity Ward as a former employer as of March 2010. Reportedly, a meeting between Zampella, West, and Activision staff occurred on March 1, after which neither Zampella nor West were seen; this was followed by the arrival of security guards at the studio.[27][28] It was later confirmed by Activision that West and Zampella had been dismissed, and had been replaced on an interim basis by Activision CTO Steve Pearce and head of production Steve Ackrich.[29]

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick addressed Infinity Ward studio heads on March 2, 2010 about Zampella and West's dismissal. A second meeting was held with all of Infinity Ward's employees on hand. The outcomes of those meetings are currently unknown,[30] but Activision has explained that Infinity Ward is still "central" to the future of the Call of Duty franchise. Activision has created a new studio, Sledgehammer Games, to create an "action-adventure" installment of the Call of Duty franchise. As of March 3, 2010, Activision maintains that Infinity Ward is still the central pillar of their Call of Duty franchise and this new studio is merely an extension of the franchise.[31]

Further departures

Following West and Zampella's firings, nearly half of the remaining Infinity Ward employees resigned. Throughout April and May 2010, 46 employees, among the lead designers and programmers who worked on Modern Warfare 2, abruptly left Infinity Ward. All have so far declined to comment on their reasons for leaving.[32]

Lawsuits

West and Zampella v. Activision

Following the initial news of West and Zampella's departure, it was reported that Infinity Ward has not received royalties from the sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and that the developer may have breached their contract with Activision by holding meetings with other video game publishers including Electronic Arts.[30][33] This was revealed to be the reason behind the firings when West and Zampella filed a lawsuit against Activision on March 4, 2010 over "substantial royalty payments" that Activision failed to pay them in the weeks leading up to their firing. According to their attorney Robert Schwartz, Activision had hired lawyers to investigate West and Zampella on charges of insubordination and breaches of contract in February, which culminated in their dismissal. West and Zampella's lawsuit was filed to force Activision to compensate West and Zampella for the unpaid royalties, and to secure contractual rights over the Modern Warfare branch of the Call of Duty franchise, among other things.[34] If their lawsuit is successful, West and Zampella could retain the power to halt the development and release of any future games and downloadable content in the Modern Warfare setting.[33]

On April 9, 2010 a countersuit was filed by Activision stating their actions in firing Zampella and West were justified, calling the two "self-serving schemers".[35] Zampella and West's attorney responded to the countersuit the same day saying the publisher's claims are "false and outrageous".[36] The trial date for this case was revealed on July 9, 2010 to be scheduled for May 23, 2011.[37] The countersuit mentioned that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is in development.[38]

Infinity Ward Employee Group v. Activision

On April 27, 2010, 38 current and former employees of Infinity Ward brought a lawsuit against Activision. Calling themselves the "Infinity Ward Employee Group" (IWEG), the plaintiffs seek between $75 million and $125 million in compensatory damages from Activision for unpaid bonuses for work on Modern Warfare 2. The lawsuit alleges that Activision withheld compensation from the plaintiffs in order to force them to stay with the studio and develop Modern Warfare 3.[39] In addition, the plaintiffs are also seeking between $75 million and $500 million in punitive damages.[40] The trial date for this case was revealed on July 9, 2010 to be scheduled for May 23, 2011.[37]

Respawn Entertainment

On April 12, 2010 the LA Times reported that West and Zampella were forming a new independent gaming studio known as Respawn Entertainment. They are seeking funding from EA through the EA Partners Program. West and Zampella will incorporate the rights to all intellectual property produced by them in the future.[41][42][43] As of July 10, 2010, 38 of the 46 Infinity Ward employees who resigned from that studio following the firings of West and Zampella revealed through their LinkedIn and Facebook profiles that they had signed on with Respawn Entertainment.[32][44] According to comments by the employees, Respawn was expected to begin work on its first project in May 2010.[45]

References

  1. ^ "Infinity Ward working on new Call of Duty". GamePron. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  2. ^ "The Modern Warfare Fight: Your Guide to Activision Vs. Infinity Ward". Kotaku. 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
  3. ^ "Call of Duty". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
  4. ^ "Call of Duty Wins Game Of The Year in the United States".
  5. ^ "Sales of Call of Duty 2 for the Xbox 360 Top One Million Units in the U.S." Retrieved 2007-05-02.
  6. ^ "Call of Duty 2 - X720". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
  7. ^ "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Sells 53 Million".
  8. ^ DEVELOP 100: THE WORLD'S MOST SUCCESSFUL GAME STUDIOS
  9. ^ http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/18/activision-modern-warfare-2-earned-550-million-in-first-day/
  10. ^ Modern Warfare 2 PC update: system specs, id Tech and Walmart price
  11. ^ Shea, Cam (2007-06-13). "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare AU Interview". IGN Xbox 360. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  12. ^ Robinson, Andy (2008-06-09). "News: Call of Duty: World at War - first details in OXM". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  13. ^ Ross Miller (2008-05-09). "New Bond game Quantum of Solace runs on COD4 engine, launching with movie". Joystiq. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  14. ^ Stead, Chris (2009-07-15). "The 10 Best Game Engines of This Generation". IGN. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  15. ^ Scores are the average of the GameRankings aggregate score received for all platforms.
  16. ^ "GameRankings Reviews: Call of Duty". GameRankings.
  17. ^ "GameRankings Reviews: Call of Duty 2 (PC)". GameRankings.
  18. ^ "GameRankings Reviews: Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360)". GameRankings.
  19. ^ "GameRankings Reviews: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)". GameRankings.
  20. ^ "GameRankings Reviews: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360)". GameRankings.
  21. ^ "GameRankings Reviews: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)". GameRankings.
  22. ^ "GameRankings Reviews: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PC)". GameRankings.
  23. ^ "GameRankings Reviews: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360)". GameRankings.
  24. ^ "GameRankings Reviews: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)". GameRankings.
  25. ^ "GameRankings Reviews: Call of Duty: Classic for PlayStation 3". GameRankings.
  26. ^ "GameRankings Reviews: Call of Duty: Classic for Xbox 360". GameRankings.
  27. ^ Thorsen, Tor (2010-03-02). "Top Infinity Ward devs fired for 'insubordination,' lawsuits 'expected' - News at GameSpot". Gamespot. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  28. ^ Fahey, Mike (2010-03-03). "Report: Modern Warfare Dev Head Leaves Company". Kotaku. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
  29. ^ Gonzalez, Annette (2010-03-02). "Activision's Future Plans For Call Of Duty Call For New Developer - News". GameInformer. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  30. ^ a b Kollar, Phil (2010-03-01). "UPDATE: Infinity Ward Vs. Activision". GameInformer. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  31. ^ "Fall of Duty: Activision reveals new franchise plans". GamePron. 2010-03-02. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
  32. ^ a b "Who Remains At Infinity Ward ?". Cynicalsmirk.com. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  33. ^ a b Walker, Richard (2010-03-04). "Future Modern Warfare Releases Could Be Vetoed By West and Zampella". Xbox360Achievements. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  34. ^ Reilly, Jim (2010-03-04). "Infinity Ward Founders File Lawsuit Against Activision". IGN. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  35. ^ Reilly, Jim (2010-04-09). "Activision Countersues Former Infinity Ward Execs". IGN. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  36. ^ Reilly, Jim (2010-04-09). "West and Zampella Respond To Countersuit". IGN. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  37. ^ a b Activision Vs. Infinity Ward Trial Date Set - PS3 News at IGN
  38. ^ Reilly, Jim (2010-04-09). "Modern Warfare 3 In Development". IGN. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  39. ^ Ryckert, Dan (2010-04-27). "Activision Sued By New "Infinity Ward Employee Group"". GameInformer. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  40. ^ Reilly, Jim (2010-04-27). "Infinity Ward Group Sues Activision For Unpaid Bonuses". IGN. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  41. ^ Pham, Alex (2010-04-12). "Jason West and Vincent Zampella's new call of duty". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-05-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  42. ^ Grant, Christopher (2010-04-12). "Respawn Entertainment announced by ex-IW heads, partnering with EA". Joystiq. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  43. ^ Reilly, Jim (2010-04-12). "Infinity Ward Founders Developing A 'Big Blockbuster' publisher=IGN". Retrieved 2010-05-21. {{cite web}}: Missing pipe in: |title= (help)
  44. ^ "Who Remains at Infinity Ward?". cynicalsmirk.com. 2010-05-25. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  45. ^ Kollar, Phil (2010-04-23). "Seven More Join Infinity Ward Exodus, Seven Respawn". GameInformer. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
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