The simmering feud between Activison and Electronic Arts over the departure of former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella has flared up again; the Call of Duty publisher is looking to add EA to the list of defendants in its official complaint (via Gamasutra).
The complaint alleges that EA conspired to set up an independent company staffed by key Activision employees, including designers, programmers, artists, and others from Activision?s Infinity Ward development studio, thus draining the studio of talent and potentially delaying future Call of Duty games.” Activision also claims that negotiations began as early as July 2009; several months before the release of Modern Warfare 2.
The complaint names both CEO John Riccitiello and COO John Schappert, as well as the talent agency Creative Artists Agency and a former member of Activision’s Board of Directors. Among other allegations, the complaint alleges that EA flew West and Zampella to San Francisco on a private jet in August 2009 to meet Riccitiello at his home, and that West and Zampella “refused to adhere to even the minimal standards of behavior required of any employee or executive.”
