California Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle has ruled that EA must defend against a contract interference lawsuit brought against it by rival publisher Activision. Judge Berle said that Activision had provided sufficient facts in support of its claim and that the case would proceed.
The legal wrangling stems from the departure of Jason West and Vincent Zampella from the Activision fold. The two were heads of development studio Infinity Ward, responsible for the blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
West and Zampella claim that Activision fired them on dubious merit and to avoid paying them large sums of royalty fees. Activision alleges that the pair was in breach of contract for numerous reasons, including meeting with rival publisher Electronic Arts and divulging confidential information.
Not long after their departure from Activision, West and Zampella signed on with EA and formed development studio Respawn Entertainment. This also sparked an exodus of senior developers from Infinity Ward, many of whom joined up with Respawn.
West and Zampella initially sued Activision for US$36 million in unpaid bonuses but their lawsuit was soon joined by that of other ex and current Infinity Ward employees also suing Activision. The lawsuit is now sitting at around the US$400 million (±R2.7 billion) mark.
EA was then named by Activision as a defendant in the case, claiming unlawful conduct at the highest levels of EA, right up to and including EA CEO John Riccitiello.
Discuss the lawsuit on the MyGaming forum.
Related articles
Infinity Ward vs. Activision lawsuit escalates
Activision names EA as defendant in Infinity Ward lawsuit
EA responds to Activision lawsuit
Source: Bloomberg
Loading ...
