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West and Zampella, the former president and chief executive, respectively, of Encino-based Infinity Ward, were fired on March 1 due to an undisclosed dispute with their bosses at Activision Blizzard, Inc..
Two days later they filed a $36-million lawsuit against the Santa Monica-based publisher, led by outspoken chief executive Bobby Kotick, claiming wrongful termination and breach of contract. They allege that Activision fired them to avoid paying royalties on their work. November’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the bestselling game of 2009 in the U.S. and generated more than $1 billion worldwide.
Most video game developers are hired hands for publishers and not represented by talent agents. As such, landing the top game developers behind one of the industry’s biggest franchises marks a coup for CAA.
— Fired ‘Call of Duty’ developers sign with CAA | Company Town | Los Angeles Times
