Headline RePLAY – 5.31.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: Activision v. West ends before going to court, the rumored Star Fox – Metroid: Fusion Saga game is debunked and a DC fighting game brought to you by the makers of Mortal Kombat.

Following leaked documents of corporate espionage, trial delays, the bitter showdown between Activision and the creators of the Call of Duty franchise

“All parties have reached a settlement in the dispute, the terms of which are strictly confidential,” said Robert Schwartz, the attorney representing Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vincent Zampella.

The settlement ends two years of litigation after Activision fired West and Zampella, which prompted the developers to sue Activision for “wrongful termination.” The publisher then countersued, accusing West and Zampella of being “disloyal.” A separate lawsuit was filed by a group of over 40 Infinity Ward developers, led by Todd Alderman, alleging that Activision denied them millions in bonus payments and royalties.

“Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI) today announced that all parties to the litigation have reached a settlement of the dispute, the terms of which are strictly confidential,” said Activision in a released statement.

EA, the publisher that Activision dropped its countersuit against last week, weighed in on the settlement: “Activision’s refusal to pay their talent and attempt to blame EA were absurd. This settlement is a vindication of Vince and Jason, and the right of creative artists to collect the rewards due for their hard work.”

|Source: LA Times, Joystiq

The incredible rumor of a Star Fox and Metroid crossover for the Wii U that surfaced last week is put to rest today by the very source that brought it to light, citing new information.

“This game [Star Fox – Metroid: Fusion Saga] is not what Retro Studios is currently working on and it will not make an appearance at E3 next week,” said Paul, writer and owner of Paul Gale Network. “Now depending on what side of the fence you were on in regards to whether or not you wanted this game to be real is where this news might personally good or bad to you. If you hated the idea, then rest assured that the game isn’t happening. If you liked the idea, then at least I can leave you with a bit of cushioning.”

According to Paul’s source, at one time the crossover was indeed a proposal, as it represented a “more unified Nintendo universe” and one of “several potential team-up projects” that Nintendo has been considering.

|Source: Paul Gale Network

From Warner Bros., DC Entertainment and the creators of Mortal Kombat comes Injustice: Gods Among Us, a fighting game that pits DC heroes and villains against each other.

In a serious case of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe déjà vu, Injustice features iconic characters like Batman, Harley Quinn, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman and Solomon Grundy duking it out in interactive arenas with over the top moves that only superheroes can do (i.e. upper-cutting the Flash into space).

All its missing is the brightly-colored ninjas and Fatalities!

Injustice is slated for release sometime in 2013.

|Source: Injustice

Headline RePLAY – 5.30.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: Apple’s take on “traditional gaming,” the Activision v. West showdown is delayed and a new Final Fantasy title for mobile devices.

Apple is simply not interested in pursuing “traditional gaming,” says CEO Tim Cook, speaking at the D10 conference this week.

“I view that we are in gaming now in a fairly big way,” said Cook. “Gaming has kind of evolved a bit. More people play on portable devices. Where we might go in the future, we’ll see. Customers love games.”

As reported by All Things Digital, Cook adds that games have evolved past “big-screen console gaming” and Apple is just not interested in exploring that area of the market.  “I’m not interested in being in the console business in what is thought of as traditional gaming. But Apple is a big player today, and things in the future will only make that bigger.”

However, when asked if Apple will focus on games on TV, he said, “I think it could be interesting.”

|Source: Gamasutra

Hold off on the popcorn, the legal battle between Activision and the creators of the Call of Duty franchise has been delayed to June 1st, three days after the original start date, due to “logistical difficulties” assembling a sufficient jury pool.

The order came from California Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle, who also stipulated that the trial must end by July 2nd, which only gives attorneys of each party only 22 business days to wrap up the case versus the requested 30.

|Source: LA Times

Already released in Japan in 2010 as Final Fantasy Legends: Hikari to Yami no Senshi [Warriors of Light and Darkness], Square-Enix is introducing the West to the mobile game as Final Fantasy Dimensions for iOS and Android devices.

“Drawing upon the root of the series with such features as beautiful 2D pixel art, job-driven character growth, additional scenarios in which to inherit the jobs of your adventuring companions, and a classic story of light, darkness and crystals, FINAL FANTASY DIMENSIONS delivers the best of FINAL FANTASY, retro and fresh alike, directly to your smartphone.”

The game will be announced at E3 and is slated for release this summer.

Headline RePLAY – 5.16.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: Activision’s corporate espionage attempt with “Project Icebreaker,” Activision drops its countersuit against EA and Steam remote downloads are now available!  

It looks like Activision’s dismissal of ex-Infinity Ward leads Jason West and Vince Zampella wasn’t the first time the publisher attempted to do such a thing, newly-released court documents revealed today.

The documents, acquired by Giant Bomb, claims that Activision has launched an internal investigation called “Project Icebreaker” that aimed to “dig up dirt” on the Call of Duty creators in an effort to see them fired.  

Activision’s former director of IT Thomas Fenady was instructed to “dig up dirt on Jason and Vince” by chief legal officer (and current chief policy officer) George Rose because “we just want to get rid of them.” Rose claimed the orders were from Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, who he said would “take care of” Fenady.

Project Icebreaker involved breaking into West and Zampella’s e-mail, voicemail and computer. In order to accomplish these objectives, Fenady contacted Microsoft and security specialist InGuardians. Microsoft refused to help without a court order and InGuardians weren’t comfortable with the “legal hurdles.”

When that failed, there was even discussion to gain access by staging a fake fumigation or mock fire drill at Infinity Ward.

Rose denied allegations that he asked Fenady to “dig up dirt”, but did concede on Project Icebreaker’s existence and his instructions to Fenady to obtain information.

Activision seeks to dismiss Fenady’s testimony under attorney-client privilege while West and Zampella’s lawyers want to use it to prove that the publisher sought to remove the ex-leads prior to the 2010 fallout.

|Source: Giant Bomb

Activision has dropped its $400 million countersuit against EA today, announcing that the two companies “have decided to put this matter behind them.”

The publisher accused EA of “disrupting” Infinity Ward by “luring” away ex-leads Jason West and Vince Zampella. Activision sought $400 million in damages from “delays” and “disruptions” at Infinity Ward.

West and Zampella’s lawsuit against Activision for unpaid royalties and bonuses remains, however, and is scheduled for trial on May 29th, despite the publisher’s request to postpone it for 30 days.

|Source: Bloomberg

The ability to remotely download games to your PC or Mac was inevitable after Valve released its Steam mobile app, which allowed users to access and manage their library of games outside of the Steam client.  

Steam’s remote downloads are now available online, and all it requires is a PC or Mac with an active Steam client and a web browser or the Steam mobile app.

Convenience, thy name is Steam!

|Source: Steam