Yesterday a small explosion hit the internet when a meeting with powerhouse publisher Activision and two leads at Infinity Ward ended in unemployment. According to what the gaming press could muster from a financial filing, Jason West and Vince Zampella were let go for “insubordination” and breach of contract. The small explosion which hit last night has now turned into a mushroom cloud of publicity as Activision has clarified its plans with the Call of Duty franchise.
In hindsight, insubordination is one of those words I have only ever heard in the context of a power struggle. Of course, the battle for creative direction over the Call of Duty franchise has been made public before, but no one would have imagined that the tension could escalate to something as drastic as “the dismissal of Infinity Ward’s top men” who actually helped build the franchise from the ground up.
Until things have been cleared up and rumors put to rest, it is hard to imagine what kind of discussions took place yesterday or what events may have occurred between Infinity Ward and Activision. It is even harder to imagine what kind of fallout there will be.
The big question is, “What's next?” If you were already expecting to be assaulted with a flurry of “Infinity Ward-less” Call of Duty products, your premonitions were confirmed this morning with an official announcement from Activision.
The average consumer is probably happy with Activision’s Call of Duty stamp, but I assure you, there is an army of us who are not. That is because, just like any other art medium, gaming is about much more than supply and demand.
Mark my words: eventually, Call of Duty is going to get terrible.
Look no further then the Guitar Hero franchise as an immediate example of how Activision has botched things in the past. Simply put, the strategy for pumping out Guitar Hero products was too much, too fast, too expensive (for the end consumer), and all without an emphasis on a quality vision. These are all mistakes that trickle down from a publisher who has an affinity for money and little tolerance for coherent creative visions.
Here in lies the great bane of game industry publishers. The perceived notion of value in a product is different to a publisher than that of game developer's and even of a consumers. When Activision CEO Bobby Kotick says things like, “There are only a handful of entertainment properties that have ever reached the $1 billion mark, which illustrates the power of the Call of Duty franchise and mass appeal of this game," It is easy to understand why a publisher might feel that the name brand or a franchise like Call of Duty is more valuable then the people who created it.
What I mean to say is that the most valuable resource in our beloved industry is not a franchise or a product, but the minds and work behind that product. After grossing $550 million dollars in Modern Warfare 2’s first five days of release, I would say that Jason West and Vince Zampella are looking like two of the most valuable resources ( strictly in the terms of cold hard cash earned) in the gaming industry.
Truthfully, none of us have any idea of what really happened yesterday, but the fact remains, when the legal smoke clears, West and Zampella are going to be in a much better position to make the games that they want to make - which is ultimately better for all of us.
My only hope - assuming that West and Zampella continue to make games - is that they take as much time as they can to regroup and plan their great return.
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Best wishes and regards.
Campbell
