Despite producing the most successful launch of any game to date with Modern Warfare 2, Infinity Ward’s entire lead design staff has resigned. It has been reported that the latest four employees to abandon ship include the final two lead designers: Steve Fukuda and Zeid Reike.
In a story we mentioned last month, Infinity Ward founders Vince Zampella and Jason West sued their parent company, Blizzard-Activision, for breach of contract after being fired for similar reasons. Since Vince and Jason were axed, the well-known game development company has bled roughly 11 staff members in protest, most of which have been pivotal talent. Interestingly, staff members continue to leave even after Activision made a promise to distribute Vince and Jason’s unpaid bonuses to those who remain employed.
While the drama unfolds, the two founding fathers of Infinity Ward have been hard at work on their next venture, aptly named “Respawn Entertainment”. In a sardonic twist of fate, Activision’s rival, EA, has also recently announced an official deal to be the sole distributor for Respawn Entertainment. The duo claims their next project is still on the drawing board, but word has it they will not be working on EA’s existing first person shooter franchises, Medal of Honor or Battlefield.
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