Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Message Board
- Call of Duty: Ghosts Copied Cutscene from Modern Warfare 2
We look at a closer look at a scene from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 that comes extremely close to being an exact scene from Call of Duty: Ghosts.
- 2013 Call of Duty Lifts Scene From 2009 Call of Duty
Is it recycling? A homage? A cry for help? All of the above?Read more...
- Usually, Vanity Fair’s features are all about Hollywood movers and shakers, glitzy heiresses, and in
Usually, Vanity Fair’s features are all about Hollywood movers and shakers, glitzy heiresses, and intrigues at famous fashion houses. But this month, the magazine’s website has a big, in-depth article on the lawsuit between Activision and Jason West a...
- Teen's School Shooting Plan Included Call of Duty's 'No Russian' Theme
The teenager accused of plotting a bombing attack on his school in Albany, Ore., wanted his car stereo to blare the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 soundtrack—specifically, the song from the infamous "No Russian" mission—as he carried out hi...
- Call of Duty-free: PR managers sentenced for siphoning thousands
Everything in moderation, dear. The Daily Mail reports Activision UK public relations executive Kathryn Kirton has admitted to stealing £18,963 ($29,000). Her co-defendant, Jamie Kaye, who worked for third-party firm Frank PR, admitted to taking £5,000...
For her part, Kirton used the money for a romantic £2,000 two-night stay at a luxury countryside estate, a £1,500 engagement party and spent £9,437 in "one of three shopping sprees." It appears things started falling apart when Kirton, using the Frank PR corporate card for one of the sprees, had Kaye bill Activision for it as Modern Warfare 2 launch expense. Kaye admitted using the money to send his family on a £3,500 family vacation to Florida. He also stole six iPads.
Both pleaded guilty to one count of fraud. The judge sentenced Kirton to 18 months, but suspended it due to the "devastating effect" it would have on her young son. Kirton's marriage is reportedly on the rocks and the stress of the past two years caused her two-year-old son to be born prematurely because of the strain of the investigation. Kaye was sentenced to nine months, but that was suspended for 12 months. He's been ordered to 80 hours of community service.
Earlier this year, former Gamestop VP of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Chris Olivera was sentenced to 51 months in US federal prison after he plead guilty to embezzling over $1.7 million.
Seriously, folks, the accountants will catch up with you eventually. Well, you know, unless they're in on it.
- Call of Duty Flack Stole from Activision to Pay for Engagement Party
An Activision PR manager who stole nearly $30,000 from the launch budget for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's UK release and used it to finance her engagement party avoided active jail time in a sentencing hearing today, reports The Daily Mail. Kathryn Ki...
- This Might Be the Last Cosplay You'd Expect from Japan
#callofduty When you think of Japan and cosplay, you probably imagine ladies dressed in skimpy anime outfits or dudes in Gundam gear. And you'd probably be right! That type of cosplay is prevalent, sure, bu...
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- Modern Warfare Map Returns, Minus the Offensive Imagery
#callofduty Earlier this month, one of Modern Warfare 2's most popular maps, Favela, disappeared. The reason was that the map contained imagery some players found offensive: holy teachings written in a bath...
- Modern Warfare 2 map taken down after controversy over Islamic imagery
The "Favela" map has been temporarily removed from Modern Warfare 2 following the discovery of, and complaints about, items found in the map that are potentially offensive to Muslim gamers.The protest video above details the offensive item: a frame conta...
The "Favela" map has been temporarily removed from Modern Warfare 2 following the discovery of, and complaints about, items found in the map that are potentially offensive to Muslim gamers.
The protest video above details the offensive item: a frame containing a quote from Mohammed, hanging above a toilet - "a disrespectful place" as YouTube user "KhaleDQ84EveR" puts it. In response to the discovery of this image, Activision is planning to remove the image from both Modern Warfare 2 and 3 via separate title updates, the publisher told Kotaku.
In the meantime, the map is down.
- What Makes A Good Knife Kill In First-Person Shooters
#counterstrike What's the big deal about Counter-Strike? Wasn't it just a Half-Life mod? More »
- The Designer of Call of Duty's 'No Russian' Massacre Wanted You to Feel Something
#callofduty Long-time Call of Duty game developer Mohammad Alavi designed Call of Duty IV's famous ghillie suit level and Modern Warfare 2's notorious interactive massacre of civilians, the level called "N...
- Call of Duty Lawsuit Isn't Happening, Parties Settle
The epic showdown in the courts between Activision, former Infinity Ward leaders Jason West and Vince Zampella, and nearly 40 employees who left after shipping Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 won't be happening.Polygon reporter Mike McWhertor and LA Times ...
The epic showdown in the courts between Activision, former Infinity Ward leaders Jason West and Vince Zampella, and nearly 40 employees who left after shipping Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 won't be happening.
Polygon reporter Mike McWhertor and LA Times reporter Ben Fritz have been attending the pre-trial shenanigans in Los Angeles, and both are reporting a settlement has been reached.
The trial had been scheduled to start this week. Details on the settlement will not be released.
According to Fritz, West was seen smiling in the court room as the news was announced.
Activision had previously disclosed it had set aside one billion dollars for the case, if the outcome went against Activision in the worst possible way. It's unclear if Activision will have to disclose any part of the settlement in the future as part of being a publicly traded company. The settlement between Activision and Electronic Arts has also been kept under wraps.
I'm really bummed. Think of all the court documents related to lunches I could have looked up!
- Call of Duty Trial Isn't Happening, Parties Settle
The epic showdown in the courts between Activision, former Infinity Ward leaders Jason West and Vince Zampella, and nearly 40 employees who left after shipping Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 won't be happening.Polygon reporter Mike McWhertor and LA Times ...
The epic showdown in the courts between Activision, former Infinity Ward leaders Jason West and Vince Zampella, and nearly 40 employees who left after shipping Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 won't be happening.
Polygon reporter Mike McWhertor and LA Times reporter Ben Fritz have been attending the pre-trial shenanigans in Los Angeles, and both are reporting a settlement has been reached.
The trial had been scheduled to start this week. Details on the settlement will not be released.
According to Fritz, West was seen smiling in the courtroom as the news was announced.
Activision had previously disclosed it had set aside one billion dollars for the case, if the outcome went against Activision in the worst possible way. It's unclear if Activision will have to disclose any part of the settlement in the future as part of being a publicly traded company. The settlement between Activision and Electronic Arts has also been kept under wraps.
I'm really bummed. Think of all the court documents related to lunches I could have looked up!
- Call of Duty Trial Isn't Happening, Parties Settle [UPDATED]
UPDATE: Activision has issued a press release about the settlement, and while it doesn't include much that we didn't already know, it does mention the settlement will "not have a material impact" on the company's bottom line.In other words: we probably wo...
UPDATE: Activision has issued a press release about the settlement, and while it doesn't include much that we didn't already know, it does mention the settlement will "not have a material impact" on the company's bottom line.
In other words: we probably won't end up finding out very much from Activision's SEC filings.
"The company does not believe that the incremental one-time charges related to the settlement will result in a material impact on its GAAP or non-GAAP earnings per share outlook for the current quarter or the calendar year, due to stronger-than-expected operating performance in the current quarter."--
The epic showdown in the courts between Activision, former Infinity Ward leaders Jason West and Vince Zampella, and nearly 40 employees who left after shipping Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 won't be happening.
Polygon reporter Mike McWhertor and LA Times reporter Ben Fritz have been attending the pre-trial shenanigans in Los Angeles, and both are reporting a settlement has been reached.
The trial had been scheduled to start this week. Details on the settlement will not be released.
According to Fritz, West was seen smiling in the courtroom as the news was announced.
Activision had previously disclosed it had set aside one billion dollars for the case, if the outcome went against Activision in the worst possible way. It's unclear if Activision will have to disclose any part of the settlement in the future as part of being a publicly traded company. The settlement between Activision and Electronic Arts has also been kept under wraps.
I'm really bummed. Think of all the court documents related to lunches I could have looked up!
- Lawsuit outs West and Zampella's salaries, bonuses at Infinity Ward: Projected $13M bonus in 2010
Former Infinity Ward studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella had projected salaries of $420,000 in 2009, with projected bonuses of more than $3 million each, emails between Activision bosses in 2009 show.The spreadsheet lists the expected salaries of ...
The spreadsheet lists the expected salaries of the top 20 Infinity Ward employees in 2009 and 2010. The 18 remaining employees -- the bulk including software engineers and game designers -- had projected salaries between $71,500 and $173,000. The seven employees under West and Zampella each expected a bonus of $603,000, while staffers seeing the lowest percentage of the bonus pool (1.5 percent) had a projected $278,000.
In 2010, the year Activision fired West and Zampella, they were each expected to earn $437,000, with projected bonuses of $13 million each. The rest of the top 20's projected salaries and bonuses rose accordingly, with salaries between $74,000 and $180,000, and bonuses ranging from $1.4 million to $2.5 million.
"If you recently worked on a hit FPS, read this and see how incredibly underpaid you are," ngmoco general manager Benjamin Cousins tweeted about the documents.
The emails were released into public record in the lawsuit between the Infinity Ward Employee Group and Activision; West and Zampella sued Activision in 2010 claiming they were owed $36 million in royalties associated with Modern Warfare 2, after Activision fired them earlier that year. West and Zampella now claim $1 billion in damages and the case is set for trial May 29.
- EA and Activision settle in Call of Duty lawsuit
EA and Activision have reached a settlement in a lawsuit that began two years ago, pertaining to the profit rights of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.No details about the settlement are currently available, but both companies said today that they will fil...
No details about the settlement are currently available, but both companies said today that they will file a settlement agreement in Los Angeles' California state court.
Former Infinity Ward developers Jason West and Vince Zampella sued Activision in 2010 after being fired, claiming damages of $36 million from unpaid royalties associated with Modern Warfare 2, which launched in 2009. After leaving Activision, the pair began their own studio, Respawn Entertainment, and inked a publishing deal with EA. Since then, West and Zampella's claim rose to $1 billion and Activision countersued with EA as a defendant.
Activision recently paid out $42 million to the Infinity Ward Employee Group, though not as a settlement; at the time, IWEG said it would pursue litigation.
The settlement news comes the same day as a report on Activision's "dirt"-digging tactics has surfaced, stating that Activision launched an information-gathering IT spree on West and Zampella just before the launch of Modern Warefare 2, intended to see them both fired. Activision called it "Project Icebreaker."
No joke.
In Project Icebreaker, Activision's George Rose asked the IT department to access West and Zampella's email, voicemail and computer without anyone's knowledge, a court filing given to Giantbomb by West and Zampella's attorneys shows. The orders reportedly came from Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. Activision attempted to use third-party security specialists and threw around the idea of staging a fake fumagation to get into West and Zampella's offices, the report says.
But now the case is settled -- any verdict on the level of sanity of gaming companies is, however, still out.
- Activision, Infinity Ward, and Project Icebreaker
When Activision terminated former Infinity Ward leadership Jason West and Vince Zampella on March 1, 2010, the publisher launched an internal investigation about them. According to West, Zampella and their attorneys, it wasn’t the first time Activision ...
When Activision terminated former Infinity Ward leadership Jason West and Vince Zampella on March 1, 2010, the publisher launched an internal investigation about them. According to West, Zampella and their attorneys, it wasn’t the first time Activision tried that.
Jason West and Vince Zampella are working on a new, still unannounced shooter over at Respawn."Project Icebreaker" was, based on a recent filing from the upcoming trial, an ongoing Activision initiative to uncover information regarding West and Vince by accessing their work email, computer, and phones. It was rolled out just months before the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
It’s also incredibly difficult to not chuckle at the name, which feels right out of a mediocre James Bond movie.
The details I'm sharing regarding Project Icebreaker come from a recent court filing related to the upcoming trial between Activision, West, Zampella, and other former developers. There's more to it. It's worth disclosing how this filing came into my possession.
This filing landed in my inbox from the public relations firm for West and Zampella's attorneys. I've been sitting on the filing for a few weeks, knowing full well this very specific filing was handed over to me, a reporter, with a specific agenda in mind, and one that doesn't paint Activision in a great light. Upon further reading, I concluded there was enough relevant, interesting information about the allegations to warrant sharing.
Activision's lawyers did not respond to my request for comment regarding this story.
If it were possible, I'd share much, much more. The entire case filing is not available online (proof!), and since I'm not in Los Angeles, I can't go to the court house myself. Maybe that'll change when I'm in town for E3.
With that context in mind, let's continue.
Projece Icebreaker reportedly arose in 2009 over strained relations between Activision and Infinity Ward. While executive memos suggest Project Icebreaker did, at times, involve improving relations between the two companies, there were contingency plans in motion if and when and it didn't work out.
The details that follow were pulled from a filing made by counsel for West and Zampella on April 23. The filing focuses on Activision director of IT Thomas Fenady’s deposition, and was filed in response to an Activision motion to dismiss parts of his testimony. Activision motion hopes to dismiss Fenady’s testimony under attorney-client privilege. West and Zampella’s lawyers argue Fenady’s testimony outlines Activision’s attempts to remove West and Zampella from the company prior to the 2010 incident.
Thomas Fenady was director of IT at Activision. He left in December 2009, and now works at Warner Bros. Fenady testified that in the summer of 2009, then Activision chief legal officer (now chief public policy officer) George Rose instructed him to “dig up dirt on Jason and Vince” because “we just want to get rid of them.” Rose said the decision came from Activision CEO Bobby Kotick.
Fenady claims Rose asked him to gain access to West and Zampella’s email, voicemail and computer, and “don’t get caught doing it.” Whatever happened in the course of seeking out this information: "Bobby will take care of you. … Don't worry about repercussions." Rose denied he asked Fenady to specifically "dig up dirt" in his deposition with Activision, though he did discuss Project Icebreaker's existence and instructing Fenady to find information.
In Fenady’s deposition, Activision counsel asked the following:
Activision: So as I understand it, the investigation in your mind included seeing whether you could get access to Mr. Jason and Mr. Vince's work computers; correct?Fenady: Yes.
Activision: It included determining whether you could get access to their work email; correct?
Fenady: Correct.
Activision: It included determining whether you could get access to their work voicemail?
Fenady: Correct.
Activision: It did not include getting access to any personal computer or personal telephone; correct?
Fenady: Correct.
Activision: What I wanted to know is, did I get it all?
Fenady: The only thing I would include is, it involved engaging third parties in order to do to. That was all part of -- the objective was the same.
Activision: Which was to gain access --
Fenady: To their work systems, yes.
Besides his deposition, West and Zampella’s counsel pointed to a Facebook message between Fenady and Infinity Ward online operations manager Robert Dye, where Fenady mentioned being asked to uncover information about West and Zampella for Activision. Fenady confirmed the message existed.
“Plaintiffs learned about Fenady from a Facebook conversation Fenady had with Robert Dye, an Activision employee. Fenady told Dye that “atvi [Activision] asked me to dig up dirt on [Jason and Vince] about 6 months prior to COD release. looking for excuses to dump them...”As noted, Rose disputed Fenady’s directive was to “dig up dirt." Rose explained his position during his deposition:
Activision: Mr. Rose, I just have a couple of questions for you. First, you testified earlier today about discussions you had with Mr. Fenady. I have a specific question for you. Did you ever ask Mr. Fenady to dig up dirt on Jason and Vince?Rose. No. Absolutely not.
...
Activision: So am I correct to understand that as part of Project Icebreaker, you asked the Activision IT department to enable you to monitor the email traffic of Infinity Ward, including Mr. West and Mr. Zampella?
Rose: Correct.
Activision: And you told me that one of the things you asked Mr. Fenady to do was to enable you to monitor the emails of Mr. West and Mr. Zampella and other people at Infinity Ward as part of Project Icebreaker. Were those efforts successful?
Rose: No.
Activision: Did you ask Mr. Fenady or other people at information technology at Activision to do anything else as part of Project Icebreaker?
Rose: As part of the Project Icebreaker, once it proved to be impossible to do what I just said, no.
To try and accomplish this task, Fenady reached outside parties. He reportedly contacted Microsoft to help crack West and Zampella’s passwords, but Microsoft refused to comply without a court order. Third-party security specialist InGuardians was contacted, too, but the vendor “didn’t feel comfortable” with the “legal hurdles.”
There was also discussion about obtaining private access to Infinity Ward's space in order to image the contents of West and Zampella's computers by staging a fake fumigation or mock fire drill at the studio. Hilarious?
“I only know it was discussed,” said Farday in his deposition. “I don't think it was acted upon.”
The concept of Activision investigating West and Zampella is not new. While reporting for G4 when the original news broke, I'd obtained an internal Activision memo asking internal studios to seek evidence about the following:
- "Documents regarding past, current or future IW projects, including but not limited to any and all businesses analyses of future projects (e.g. Modern Warfare 3)"
- "Documents regarding any potential 'spin out' of IW, including but not limited to any communications with IW employees, West or Zampella regarding forming a new studio independent of Activision"
- "Documents regarding West and Zampella's communications with Activision's competitors, including but not limited to Electronic Arts"
Not long after the breakup, West and Zampella inked a publishing deal with Electronic Arts with their new studio, Respawn Entertainment.
If allegations like Project Icebreaker indicate what we’re in for, prepare for a legal fireworks show. The trial has been scheduled to go to trial on May 29, but Activision recently asked for a 30-day delay.
- Activision pays $42 million to Infinity Ward Employee Group
Activision has paid out $42 million to the "Infinity Ward Employee Group," which sued Activision in 2010 seeking profits from Modern Warfare 2. A source speaking to Polygon said that the payment was not a settlement; rather, Activision's discovery phase ...
That group sought $75 million to $125 million, plus punitive damages. IWEG attorney Bruce Isaacs told Polygon that "although it is a meaningful payment it is only a small portion of what we are seeking in litigation." And it is still going forward with said litigation. Isaacs said the payment was a "cynical attempt to look good before the jury trial."
- Bored Soldier Recreates Modern Warfare Box Art
#cosplay Note the "bored" was the words of Reddit user Travissimo, not me. I can't picture soldiers serving overseas having enough spare time to approach being bored, let alone bored enough to engage in box...
- Is the Recession the Next Big Video Game Bad Guy?
#grandtheftauto Would you shoot someone responsible for America's horrible housing market? Would you like to? What if you met his wife and kid first? More »
- California Man Pleads Guilty to Trading Video Game Cheat Codes for Child Pornography
#crime A 22-year-old California man pled guilty today to child pornography charges for getting a 10-year-old boy to send nude pictures of himself in exchange for Call of Duty "cheat codes," according to U...
- Modern Warfare 3 Is A Shooting Game
Look, I don’t want this to be another groundhog day. I don’t want the comments thread to fill up with people going ‘Call of Duty is boring’ and then some other people saying “that’s just, like, your opinion man.” I just want you to only bot...
Look, I don’t want this to be another groundhog day. I don’t want the comments thread to fill up with people going ‘Call of Duty is boring’ and then some other people saying “that’s just, like, your opinion man.” I just want you to only bother watching this video of Modern Warfare 3′s ‘Spec Ops’ co-op mode if you honestly have a real interest in Modern Warfare 3. If you don’t, stop reading. Why are you still reading? You don’t even care! STOP READING. And don’t you dare comment.(more…)
- Gears of War 3 Dents Call of Duty's Xbox Live Dominance, Doesn't Beat It
#gearsofwar Gears of War 3 was the second most popular game on Xbox Live on the week it launched, topping Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 but failing to unseat the 10-month-old Call of Duty: Black Ops. M...
- Infinity Ward's day in court: May 7, 2012
Former Infinity Ward bossmen Jason West and Vincent Zampella have an official court date of May 7, 2012 to settle their dispute with Activision. West and Zampella seek $125 million in unpaid royalties from Modern Warfare 2 sales and wish to reclaim the...
Since The Firings, West and Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment and now have 40 former Infinity Ward employees working at the studio, which is creating an unannounced, blurry IP. Activision's suit is clear to proceed, but doesn't yet have a date -- considering how long this first case could drag on, we guess it'll go to court around January 2068.
- Video Proof That I Fought On Modern Warfare 2's Scrapyard in Real Life at Call of Duty XP
#callofduty One of the highlight's of the Call of Duty XP convention was its paintball field recreation of "Scrapyard," one of the multiplayer maps featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. I took a fe...
- Call of Duty XP 'Juggernaut Sumo' Pits Grandpa vs. Grandson
#callofduty One of the many activities on hand at this weekend's Call of Duty XP event—activities that earn attendees badges of honor—is Juggernaut Sumo. The game? Put on a bulky fat suit guss...
- A Remote Controlled Airplane Took This Real Call of Duty Photo
#callofduty Call of Duty XP is an official COD gaming event that promises to do more than let players play Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer. They'll also get a shot at running a real version of The Pit time co...
- Yes, Virginia, Modern Warfare 3 Will Have Dedicated PC Servers
If you're one of the many, many PC players of Modern Warfare 2 that was, shall we say, less-than-enthused about Activision and Infinity Ward's decision not to include support for dedicated servers, you may now put down your pitchforks and delete your onli...
If you're one of the many, many PC players of Modern Warfare 2 that was, shall we say, less-than-enthused about Activision and Infinity Ward's decision not to include support for dedicated servers, you may now put down your pitchforks and delete your online petitions: Modern Warfare 3 is getting dedicated servers.
You're going to have to find something else in Modern Warfare 3 to make the subject of your Hitler freakout video.This news of Activision's sudden 180 on the subject comes via IGN, who confirmed from Activision reps at Gamescom that Modern Warfare 3 will fully support dedicated servers on the PC. IGN says that this is part of a larger effort to show PC players that Activision is still very much dedicated to the PC platform.
While this news is no doubt exciting to potential Modern Warfare 3 players, the publisher evidently still has some concerns about opening up the servers in such fashion. Specifically, the inclusion of dedicated servers does mean that it would, in theory at least, be easier to cheat in online multiplayer matches. This is especially an issue given the upcoming debut of Call of Duty Elite, which Activision plans to use to hold a number of multiplayer-oriented contests with "millions and millions of dollars" worth of prizes.
With that in mind, Activision has apparently said that they will not ship Modern Warfare 3 until developers are sure they can keep the play environment fair and balanced. Given the unlikelihood of Activision missing its planned November 8 release date, we can presume then that the game will be as secure and cheater-proof as it possibly can be by that date, and that any suggestions otherwise will be treated as the maniacal ravings of the lunatic fringe that they most assuredly are.
- Norway Terror Suspect Used MW2 for "Training"
In his 'manifesto', Anders Behring Breivik, the suspect in the brutal slaughter of 93 people in Norway last week, wrote about his enthusiasm for videogames, and how he used them as part of his "training"...
- Modern Warfare Actor Won't Go to Court for Assault Charge
Earlier, British TV star Billy Murray, who voices Captain Price in Modern Warfare, was charged with assaulting his wife and 27-year-old daughter. Charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service, reports the Mirror, ceasing any further...
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