Image Courtesy of Southernfood.org
The fallout over the contract and back-pay disputes between Activision and former members of Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward has lead to the latter losing over a dozen key personnel, and a new competitor studio formed at rival producer Electronic Arts. Many in the position of prediction had put two and two together in regards to the future employment of all these quitting designers, and it comes as no surprise that they have made the decision to reunite with their former bosses at the new Respawn studio.
Todd Alderman recently updated his LinkedIn business profile page to show him assuming his former Lead Designer role at the Vince Zampella and Jason West-headed developer. Since then, Lead Animator John Paul Messerly, Software Engineer Rayme C. Vinson, Lead Environmental Artist Chris Cherubini, Lead Animator Mark Grisby, Lead Designer Mackey McCandlish, and Programmer Jon Shiring have all reported regaining the same (or similiar) roles at Respawn. Activision has yet to respond to the issue since its reporting on its recent hand-0ut of bonus checks originally intended for Zampella and West.
Well, at this rate there will be no one left at IW by the end of summer, or before summer even starts. Well I have no idea what will happen, but I just hope that wherever they go they get paid the money that they deserve.
Oh there will be people left… the people who have ethics will still be there. And the studio will rebuild, and respawn entertainment will go the way of so many EA studios being merged into EA and then having half its staff laid off…