BlackBerry | Activision Publishing CEO Griffith steps down

Previously reported management reshuffle now official as executive segues into role as Activision Blizzard vice chairman; move happened four days before Infinity Ward employee lawsuit.

Yesterday, a Securities and Exchange Commission filing revealed that Activision Publishing president and CEO Michael Griffith has resigned. The timing made the move appear to be related to yesterday's dramatic lawsuit by 38 current and former employees of Infinity Ward, the studio behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

The suit claims Activision withheld $75 million to $125 million of bonuses and royalties due to developers from an alleged $900 million in profits Activision made from the first-person shooter. It demands a further $75 million to $500 million in punitive damages, bringing the total damages to $150 million to $625 million.

Former Activision Publishing president and CEO and newly installed Activision Blizzard vice chairman Mike Griffith.

However, Griffith's resignation actually occurred on April 23, four days before the Infinity Ward employee lawsuit. Moreover, it was first reported in the Los Angeles Times in March, when Activision Blizzard quietly restructured its entire organization.

The paper then revealed that Griffith was moving on to become vice chairman of Activision Blizzard's board and would remain an adviser to Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick--a move confirmed by yesterday's filing. According to the SEC document, Griffith will now collect a base salary of $250,000, receive 50,000 stock options, and be eligible for a 50 percent annual bonus prorated for every year he serves on the board.

Other changes revealed by the Times included the promotion of CFO Thomas Tippl to temporary CEO of Activision Publishing and COO of Activision Blizzard. He will oversee Blizzard Entertainment president Mike Morhaime, who will continue to run the World of Warcraft maker, and Philip Earl, the head of the newly formed Call of Duty business unit.

Activision's restructuring established two new business units for wholly owned properties like Guitar Hero and licensed properties like the Marvel Comics and Transformer titles. Those will be run by vice president of owned properties Maria Stipp and Activision Value veteran Dave Oxford, respectively.

Activision logo

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/blackberry/action/calldutymodern2/news.html?sid=6260502

Xbox 360 | Halo beta Reach-es until May 19

Early play test of Bungie's next sci-fi shooter to feature new arena mode and game types, free XBL Avatar hoodie for participants; Xbox Live Silver members able to check it out May 14-17.

Halo fans have known the Halo: Reach beta's May 3 start date for months, but Microsoft had been less than definitive about how long the first taste of the upcoming Bungie-developer shooter's multiplayer would last. Today the company revealed a few more details about the beta, including its May 19 termination date.

It's nice to know painted skulls on headgear will still be the height of battlefield fashion in the far-flung future.

For the half-month that gamers have access to the Halo: Reach beta (through the Halo 3: ODST game disc), players will get to test a variety of new play types and features. At launch, the beta will include three different rotations for players to jump into.

While a variety of new and old match types will be covered on the rotations, they will feature the game's new four-on-four team Deathmatch Arena mode. Starting on May 7, Bungie will add a fourth playlist focusing on large-scale Spartan vs. Elite matches and finally introduce the "Generator Defense" match type into the battles on May 14.

For those intimidated by the new modes and features, Microsoft will host a video walk-through for the beta, hosted by actress Aisha Tyler (from FX's Archer). Like the beta itself, that clip will be accessible through the Halo 3: ODST disc.

For most of the beta, access will be limited to Xbox Live Gold subscribers, as is typical for multiplayer gameplay on the Xbox 360. However, Xbox Live Silver members will get a chance to play the Reach beta (as well as Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST) online for free from 9 a.m. PDT on May 14 through 9 a.m. PDT on May 17. Additionally, all players who finish a full game in the Halo: Reach beta will be able to claim free hoodies for their XBL Avatars by going to the Halo Waypoint area of Xbox Live and accessing their career stats.

The full version of Halo: Reach is set for launch this fall. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

Beyoncé - Halo

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/haloreach/news.html?sid=6260524

Xbox 360 | 360 Singularity purchase earns free Prototype

Activision offering mail-in voucher for Radical's violent action adventure on Microsoft's console for limited time with purchase of Raven's upcoming shooter.

Get the full article at GameSpot

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"Xbox 360 | 360 Singularity purchase earns free Prototype" was posted by Tom Magrino on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:18:13 -0700

E3 2009: Project Natal Xbox 360 Announcement

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/singularity/news.html?sid=6260527

Wii | Two mystery Tom Clancy titles in development

Ubisoft's brand manager for games inspired by the techno-thriller author says a pair of unnamed projects are in the works.

Since the turn of the century, Ubisoft has enjoyed great success with Tom Clancy games. So much success, in fact, that in March 2008, the French publisher bought the rights to use the American techno-thriller author's name in future books, films, and games.

Ubisoft is working on two unnamed Tom Clancy titles.

The move came days after the release of the critically acclaimed first-person shooter Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Since then, Ubisoft has released three Tom Clancy-branded games: the real-time strategy game EndWar, the air combat sim HAWX, and the just-released--and decently reviewed--Splinter Cell: Conviction. A fourth, the third-person shooter Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, is due out this holiday season.

Now, it appears two more Tom Clancy-branded titles are in the works. Speaking to Dutch gaming site Control-Online.nl, Tom Clancy brand manager Michael Verheijdt revealed that he is working on a pair of untitled games that bear the author's name. "At the moment I'm working on two Tom Clancy games that are in development," he said. "[But] if I say anything about that, I'll have to send Sam Fisher after you."

Verheijdt's duties include writing a style guide for all Tom Clancy games for developers to use as a reference. He is also in charge of keeping the canon's timeline straight, and making sure that events in one game don't contradict those in another.

The next publicly announced Tom Clancy game is this fall's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.

"I have a notion to update Wikipedia to index everything," he told the site. "It is crucial that we have everything clear and orderly, because in the future, we want the various game series to overlap each other. 'Convergence' is the magic word here."

That convergence may include a Tom Clancy massively multiplayer online game of some sort. When the name buyout was announced, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that no longer having to pay royalties for the license would allow his company to expand the Tom Clancy brand in many new genres.

"We will be able to adapt the brand to new formats, in particular the MMO format, where the royalties were a big thing holding us back," he explained.

Two Is Better Than One- Boys Like Girls ft. Taylor Swift!- lyrics

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/tomclancysghostreconfuturesoldier/news.html?sid=6260537

Xbox 360 | SyFy making Red Faction movie, coproducing games

Two-hour telefilm could be pilot for full-fledged series; future installments in game franchise will be developed in cooperation with television network's game arm.

In February, publisher THQ and cable channel SyFy announced a deal that would see the latter develop a show based on the former's hit platformer de Blob. Today, Broadcasting & Cable reports that the science-fiction-focused network is now developing a telefilm based on another THQ property: Red Faction.

Red Faction: The Movie is in development at the SyFy Network.

According to the trade, the two-hour Red Faction movie will be a potential pilot for a TV series based on the franchise, which was itself partially inspired by the film Total Recall. A similar arrangement saw a 2003 miniseries remake based on the 1970s show Battlestar Galactica turn into a full-fledged--and award-winning--series that ran from 2004 to 2009.

"It is the kind of content that fits our genre," senior VP of SyFy Ventures Alan Seiffert told B&C. "It is a great fit for a big SyFy Saturday movie, and if it really works, it is a great backdoor pilot."

The deal will cut both ways, with future Red Faction games being coproduced by the SyFy Games label. According to the latest THQ financial report, Red Faction 4 has been moved up to arrive during the publisher's current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2011. CEO Brian Farrell said the game's release had been advanced to capitalize on the popularity of the critically acclaimed Red Faction: Guerrilla and promised "robust online gameplay" and increased environmental destruction.

The network has also struck a deal with THQ to develop a DS, iPhone, and iPad game based on the upcoming reality show Ghost Hunters Academy. The show will be a spin-off of the current SyFy series Ghost Hunters, which follows two paranormal sleuths trying to capture evidence of supernatural activities.

"Both Ghost Hunters and Red Faction are great examples of how we are absolutely committed to [gaming], and it is going to be more than just taking the name; it is going to really be part of the overall experience," Seiffert said.

SyFy TV Channel Promo HD - House of Imagination (Imagine Greater)

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/redfactioniii/news.html?sid=6260485

PlayStation 3 | Infinity Ward to close, expects analyst

Janco Partners' Mike Hickey says Modern Warfare 2 developer likely to be closed after next map pack; Modern Warfare 3 duties to be split between two other studios.

Earlier this month, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter weighed in on the departure of about a dozen employees from Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 developer, Infinity Ward. He said the studio could lose 20 more and the publisher would just replace them and still put out a competitive product. One of Pachter's colleagues today expressed a more dire appraisal of the situation.

A beautiful house is turned into a smoldering pile of burned wreckage in Modern Warfare 2.

In a note to investors, Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey said the Infinity Ward departures "have created meaningful uncertainty around the future of their Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise," not to mention the studio itself. Hickey expects that Activision will shutter the studio entirely after the next map pack add-on for Modern Warfare 2 is released.

As for the follow-up, Hickey said development on Modern Warfare 3 would be split between two studios "not historically tied to the franchise." When that game does arrive, Hickey doesn't think it will quite live up to the blockbuster sales of its predecessor. He is expecting a fourth-quarter 2011 release of the game to bring in $738 million by the year's end, where Modern Warfare 2's sales total for roughly the same period was about $1 billion.

Infinity Ward has been the center of turmoil within Activision since last month, when the publisher fired studio cofounders Jason West and Vince Zampella. They sued the company, which sued back, alleging that the pair had been plotting to start a new studio with chief Activision rival Electronic Arts. Within weeks of their termination, West and Zampella started a new studio with chief Activision rival Electronic Arts. A number of Infinity Ward developers jumped ship to join the new studio, dubbed Respawn Entertainment, while others simply resigned. This week, a group of 38 former and current Infinity Ward developers sued Activision for as much as $625 million, alleging the publisher had been withholding royalty and bonus payments due them.

Guru Josh Project - Infinity

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/callofdutymodernwarfare3/news.html?sid=6260500

PlayStation 3 | Activision Publishing CEO Griffith steps down

Previously reported management reshuffle now official as executive segues into role as Activision Blizzard vice chairman; move happened five days before Infinity Ward employee lawsuit.

Yesterday, a Securities and Exchange Commission filing revealed that Activision Publishing president and CEO Michael Griffith has resigned. The timing made the move appear to be related to yesterday's dramatic lawsuit by 38 current and former employees of Infinity Ward, the studio behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

The suit claims Activision withheld $75 million to $125 million of bonuses and royalties due to developers from an alleged $900 million in profits Activision made from the first-person shooter. It demands a further $75 million to $500 million in punitive damages, bringing the total damages to $150 million to $625 million.

Former Activision Publishing president and CEO and newly installed Activision Blizzard vice chairman Mike Griffith.

However, Griffith's resignation actually occurred on April 23, five days before the Infinity Ward employee lawsuit. Moreover, it was first reported in the Los Angeles Times in March, when Activision Blizzard quietly restructured its entire organization.

The paper then revealed that Griffith was moving on to become vice chairman of Activision Blizzard's board and would remain an adviser to Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick--a move confirmed by yesterday's filing. According to the SEC document, Griffith will now collect a base salary of $250,000, receive 50,000 stock options, and be eligible for a 50 percent annual bonus prorated for every year he serves on the board.

Other changes revealed by the Times included the promotion of CFO Thomas Tippl to temporary CEO of Activision Publishing and COO of Activision Blizzard. He will oversee Blizzard Entertainment president Mike Morhaime, who will continue to run the World of Warcraft maker, and Philip Earl, the head of the newly formed Call of Duty business unit.

Activision's restructuring established two new business units for wholly owned properties like Guitar Hero and licensed properties like the Marvel Comics and Transformer titles. Those will be run by vice president of owned properties Maria Stipp and Activision Value veteran Dave Oxford, respectively.

Activision logo

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/modernwarfare2/news.html?sid=6260502