West/Zampella Vs. Activision Rumble Gets Dated

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Infinity Ward’s founders are finally getting their cage match with Activision, as a court date has finally been declared.

Jason West and Vincent Zampella, the men who founded Infinity Ward and eventually wound up engaged in one of the nastiest feuds ever with Activision, are one step closer to a courtroom battle thanks to an official court date. The lawsuit, which alleges that Activision owes the duo royalties for their studio’s Call of Duty games, is set to start on May 7, 2012.

In case you’ve managed to miss out on this whole snafu up until now, here’s the Reader’s Digest version. Back in 2010, West and Zampella were suddenly fired by Activision, supposedly because the two were (allegedly) having dealings with Electronic Arts. A month later, the men sued their former employer for $125 million in royalties, claiming they were owed them from sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Activision, in turn, countersued, including Electronic Arts in the suit and demanding $400 million, claiming “that EA colluded with Creative Artists Agency to hire the duo away from Infinity Ward.”

Meanwhile, West and Zampella have since founded a new studio – Respawn Entertainment – hired over 60 new employees, and signed a deal to work with EA.

Speaking to Forbes, Zampella spoke a little about the trial date, saying “I’m really looking forward to having our day in court.”

Source: Forbes via GamePolitics

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