West & Zampella Case Goes To Court In May

The lawsuit filed by Infinity Ward co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella against Call of Duty publisher Activision is officially going to trial in Los Angeles on May 7. The duo, which co-founded Call of Duty series originator and Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward, is suing its former employer on fraud allegations, claiming that the creators were defrauded when Activision fired them before substantial royalty payments for Modern Warfare were paid. In addition to financial damages, the pair is seeking an annulment of its original contract, which would see it co-owning the Modern Warfare brand with Activision, and giving the developers rights to make new games in the series. "I’m really looking forward to having our day in Court," Zampella told Forbes. West and Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment, which now claims 40 former Infinity Ward employees who worked on Modern Warfare 2. The company is currently working on an unannounced new IP.