Activision accused of trying to "kill off" indie studio

Iria · Aug 31, 2005, 12:05 AM

Last November, Activision released Call of Duty: Finest Hour, a console version of its wildly popular World War II shooter, Call of Duty. Despite receiving only middling reviews, the game was a solid success, becoming one of the publisher's leading titles for the all-important holiday season. It is estimated to have sold over one million copies for the Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2 combined, and was among the top 10 best-selling console games in the US until February 2005.

Given Finest Hour's success, it came as little surprise when in February, CEO Ron Doornik announced a sequel was in the works. However, some eyebrows were raised a month later, when Finest Hour's developer, independent studio Spark Unlimited, announced it had entered into a contract with Atari to develop a series of next-generation console games instead.

On the same day as the Spark announcement, Activision revealed that three of its internal studios would be working on console Call of Duty titles. Original Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward would bring Call of Duty 2 to the Xbox 360, while Gray Matter and Spider-Man 2-maker Treyarch would co-develop Call of Duty: Big Red One for current-generation platforms.

In the wake of Spark and Activision parting ways, various theories began to circulate about the split. However, it wasn't until late last week that the full extent--and ugliness--of the rift was revealed. That's when Spark's attorneys filed a lawsuit against Activision seeking over $10 million in damages and compensation, as well as an injunction preventing the release of Call of Duty: Big Red One.
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Read More / Source: GameSpot

Aug 31, 2005, 12:05 AM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 74	Activision accused of trying to "kill off" indie studio Last November, Activision released Call of Duty: Finest Hour, a console version of its wildly popular World War II shooter, Call of Duty. Despite receiving only middling reviews, the game was a solid success, becoming one of the publisher's leading titles for the all-important holiday season. It is estimated to have sold over one million copies for the Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2 combined, and was among the top 10 best-selling console games in the US until February 2005. Given Finest Hour's success, it came as little surprise when in February, CEO Ron Doornik announced a sequel was in the works. However, some eyebrows were raised a month later, when Finest Hour's developer, independent studio Spark Unlimited, announced it had entered into a contract with Atari to develop a series of next-generation console games instead. On the same day as the Spark announcement, Activision revealed that three of its internal studios would be working on console Call of Duty titles. Original Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward would bring Call of Duty 2 to the Xbox 360, while Gray Matter and Spider-Man 2-maker Treyarch would co-develop Call of Duty: Big Red One for current-generation platforms. In the wake of Spark and Activision parting ways, various theories began to circulate about the split. However, it wasn't until late last week that the full extent--and ugliness--of the rift was revealed. That's when Spark's attorneys filed a lawsuit against Activision seeking over $10 million in damages and compensation, as well as an injunction preventing the release of Call of Duty: Big Red One. __________ Read More / Source: GameSpot