Infinity Ward Departures
Or, "Wow, You're Finally Posting Something!"
Hello.
Yeah, I know. Long time, no post. And it probably isn't the usual post you have come to know and forget about on my site.
As some of you may or may not know, something interesting has been happening for the past couple of months in the game development world. A company called Infinity Ward (they put out a little game called Modern Warfare 2, you might have heard about it,) has become involved in a serious clash with their publisher Activision. Instead of me rehashing the details about this here, you are better off at popping over to Kotaku's #callofdutylegalwarfare section and reading about the recent troubled history between the two parties.
You might ask, "why are you posting about this?" and, "why the unexpected post?" Well it started off with a little page I put up on my site. Namely, who remains at Infinity Ward?
What this page has is a list inspired by a Youtube video posted by PC Gamer UK that shows the credits of Modern Warfare 2 with names of the people who left Infinity Ward scratched off since the trouble with Activision was brought to light.
The reason for me creating the page was because many people on various video game forums wanted to see an updated end credits with the up to date names crossed off. Since the video wasn't updated for almost two weeks and a lot more names could be added to it, I figured I would recreate it in text format and post a link on Kotaku's comment section for fun. Little did I know how many people would actually see this list and relink it on many other sites and forums. Now, with the help of some anonymous tipsters, I am helping others keep informed about how quickly Infinity Ward is losing people, mostly due to what appears to be Activision's treatment of the studio. Believe me, looking at the traffic logs, there are a lot of you out there who are interested.
Now you might be wondering why I am interested in this whole affair. There are a few reasons.
1. I like video games. Plain and simple.
2. I find this whole thing just fascinating from a business perspective. If even half of what I've read about the way Activision has treated Infinity Ward is true, then it has to be some of the worst management/executive decisions ever.
3. I admit, I enjoy this schadenfreude at Activision's expense. They are a business who likes to make money. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, they should be applauded for that by doing right by their investors. But the way they go about making money is by beating franchises to death with a million and a half sequels, running them into the ground. It's happened with the Tony Hawk series, the Guitar Hero series, and it looks to be well on it's way to doing the same with the Modern Warfare and Call of Duty series. I think that if someone made me a few billion dollars, I would let them do whatever they want to keep them happy. They might come out with another new franchise that will blow people away. Then you have two franchises under them that you can make money from, without fatiguing the market with an over-saturated product. This sort of leads me to my 4th point...
4. I'm a techie and I hate to see other techies run over and pigeon holed into something they don't really want to do. Activision sees dollar bills at the expense of developers who might be a little tired of retreading the same game with updated graphics and scant few improvements. Frustrated developers rarely make a great product. Infinity Ward probably wanted to make something new and not another sequel. Creative people just don't work well nor are they happy in those types of situations. It's that creative juice that made them great developers. Activision's spin doctors claim they allow their studios creative freedom. But is it really creative freedom if they are still shoehorned within the same old franchise? It's about as creatively free as telling a furniture maker who wants to make a table after years of making chairs that they have to continue making chairs, but they can paint the chairs whatever color they want. This analogy might not be correct, but that to me is how I think Activision sees creative freedom.
So that's it, in case any of you were wondering. If you have any tips about future Infinity Ward departures, send them to me with any supporting links or evidence if possible, and I will update the list for as long as this is going on.
Comments Closed - Permanent Link
Or, "Wow, You're Finally Posting Something!"
Hello.
Yeah, I know. Long time, no post. And it probably isn't the usual post you have come to know and forget about on my site.
As some of you may or may not know, something interesting has been happening for the past couple of months in the game development world. A company called Infinity Ward (they put out a little game called Modern Warfare 2, you might have heard about it,) has become involved in a serious clash with their publisher Activision. Instead of me rehashing the details about this here, you are better off at popping over to Kotaku's #callofdutylegalwarfare section and reading about the recent troubled history between the two parties.
You might ask, "why are you posting about this?" and, "why the unexpected post?" Well it started off with a little page I put up on my site. Namely, who remains at Infinity Ward?
What this page has is a list inspired by a Youtube video posted by PC Gamer UK that shows the credits of Modern Warfare 2 with names of the people who left Infinity Ward scratched off since the trouble with Activision was brought to light.
The reason for me creating the page was because many people on various video game forums wanted to see an updated end credits with the up to date names crossed off. Since the video wasn't updated for almost two weeks and a lot more names could be added to it, I figured I would recreate it in text format and post a link on Kotaku's comment section for fun. Little did I know how many people would actually see this list and relink it on many other sites and forums. Now, with the help of some anonymous tipsters, I am helping others keep informed about how quickly Infinity Ward is losing people, mostly due to what appears to be Activision's treatment of the studio. Believe me, looking at the traffic logs, there are a lot of you out there who are interested.
Now you might be wondering why I am interested in this whole affair. There are a few reasons.
1. I like video games. Plain and simple.
2. I find this whole thing just fascinating from a business perspective. If even half of what I've read about the way Activision has treated Infinity Ward is true, then it has to be some of the worst management/executive decisions ever.
3. I admit, I enjoy this schadenfreude at Activision's expense. They are a business who likes to make money. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, they should be applauded for that by doing right by their investors. But the way they go about making money is by beating franchises to death with a million and a half sequels, running them into the ground. It's happened with the Tony Hawk series, the Guitar Hero series, and it looks to be well on it's way to doing the same with the Modern Warfare and Call of Duty series. I think that if someone made me a few billion dollars, I would let them do whatever they want to keep them happy. They might come out with another new franchise that will blow people away. Then you have two franchises under them that you can make money from, without fatiguing the market with an over-saturated product. This sort of leads me to my 4th point...
4. I'm a techie and I hate to see other techies run over and pigeon holed into something they don't really want to do. Activision sees dollar bills at the expense of developers who might be a little tired of retreading the same game with updated graphics and scant few improvements. Frustrated developers rarely make a great product. Infinity Ward probably wanted to make something new and not another sequel. Creative people just don't work well nor are they happy in those types of situations. It's that creative juice that made them great developers. Activision's spin doctors claim they allow their studios creative freedom. But is it really creative freedom if they are still shoehorned within the same old franchise? It's about as creatively free as telling a furniture maker who wants to make a table after years of making chairs that they have to continue making chairs, but they can paint the chairs whatever color they want. This analogy might not be correct, but that to me is how I think Activision sees creative freedom.
So that's it, in case any of you were wondering. If you have any tips about future Infinity Ward departures, send them to me with any supporting links or evidence if possible, and I will update the list for as long as this is going on.
Comments Closed - Permanent Link
Attack Cardio With Vinnie Jones
Extreme Weight Loss
Forget about eating right and exercise. Nothing burns off calories like fear, and nothing is more scary than getting caught and beaten by Vinnie Jones.
Attack Cardio With Vinnie Jones
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Extreme Weight Loss
Forget about eating right and exercise. Nothing burns off calories like fear, and nothing is more scary than getting caught and beaten by Vinnie Jones.
Attack Cardio With Vinnie Jones
Comments Closed - Permanent Link
1066 - The Game
Flash Game
1066 - The Game is part history lesson, part strategy game and part mini-games.
Play through three different campaigns to defeat your enemy by wiping them all out or making them run off the field of battle like scared little children. The battle is composed of mini-games, such as typing speed for taunts, rhythm timing for battling, straight up button mashing for charging and gauging angle, power and distance for your archers.
1066 - The Game
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Flash Game
1066 - The Game is part history lesson, part strategy game and part mini-games.
Play through three different campaigns to defeat your enemy by wiping them all out or making them run off the field of battle like scared little children. The battle is composed of mini-games, such as typing speed for taunts, rhythm timing for battling, straight up button mashing for charging and gauging angle, power and distance for your archers.
1066 - The Game
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Flame Body Spray
Fire Meets Desire
This is a viral ad campaign put together by Burger King. Apparently nothing is more manly than smelling like flame grilled beef. The sad thing about this is that it appears to be a real product that you can purchase.
Every time you "spray" the bottle you get something different going on in the background. A little warning, one of these backgrounds is television talent show judge, Piers Morgan, wearing nothing by BK bling and having just his naughty bits covered up. Some of you might want to click on through and some of you might want to linger on it. It's cool, I'm not here to judge. Whatever floats your boat.
Flame Body Spray
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Fire Meets Desire
This is a viral ad campaign put together by Burger King. Apparently nothing is more manly than smelling like flame grilled beef. The sad thing about this is that it appears to be a real product that you can purchase.
Every time you "spray" the bottle you get something different going on in the background. A little warning, one of these backgrounds is television talent show judge, Piers Morgan, wearing nothing by BK bling and having just his naughty bits covered up. Some of you might want to click on through and some of you might want to linger on it. It's cool, I'm not here to judge. Whatever floats your boat.
Flame Body Spray
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Street Fighter Wannabe
Bonus Stage Recreation
Remember the car smashing bonus stage in Street Fighter 2? You might think that the setup to this video will be a lame parody of some dumpy man flailing in futility against this car, but in fact this dude messes this car up pretty good with just his body.
Street Fighter Wannabe
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Bonus Stage Recreation
Remember the car smashing bonus stage in Street Fighter 2? You might think that the setup to this video will be a lame parody of some dumpy man flailing in futility against this car, but in fact this dude messes this car up pretty good with just his body.
Street Fighter Wannabe
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Patrick Duffy & The Crab Discuss a Threesome
Yes, The Headline Is Correct
Patrick Duffy and a puppet crab discuss a theoretical threesome between both of them and Courtney Cox. Just let that sink in for a minute. I haven't the faintest idea why Patrick Duffy is hanging out with a crab, but he does. There are also a couple other videos between them about eating a dime and Facebook, but they aren't as strange or awkwardly uncomfortable as this video.
Patrick Duffy & The Crab Discuss a Threesome
Comments Closed - Permanent Link
Yes, The Headline Is Correct
Patrick Duffy and a puppet crab discuss a theoretical threesome between both of them and Courtney Cox. Just let that sink in for a minute. I haven't the faintest idea why Patrick Duffy is hanging out with a crab, but he does. There are also a couple other videos between them about eating a dime and Facebook, but they aren't as strange or awkwardly uncomfortable as this video.
Patrick Duffy & The Crab Discuss a Threesome
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Blunt Card
For The Ones You Don't Love
When you want to convey feelings that are the opposite of love to those around you, say it with a Blunt Card. Some of them are pretty offensive and could be considered Not Safe For Work.
Blunt Card
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For The Ones You Don't Love
When you want to convey feelings that are the opposite of love to those around you, say it with a Blunt Card. Some of them are pretty offensive and could be considered Not Safe For Work.
Blunt Card
Comments Closed - Permanent Link
Mad Gabs Online
Make Sense From Nonsense
Can you decipher these nonsensical phrases phonetically to solve each puzzle?
Mad Gabs Online
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Make Sense From Nonsense
Can you decipher these nonsensical phrases phonetically to solve each puzzle?
Mad Gabs Online
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Exercising Doggie Style
Working Out
All of you who found this page looking for a certain bedroom activity can just leave now. This video of a dog doing squats like person is definitely not what you are looking for. For the rest of you, enjoy Kirin, a 4-year old border collie from Japan, doing his impression of "Sweatin' to the Oldies."
Exercising Doggie Style
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Working Out
All of you who found this page looking for a certain bedroom activity can just leave now. This video of a dog doing squats like person is definitely not what you are looking for. For the rest of you, enjoy Kirin, a 4-year old border collie from Japan, doing his impression of "Sweatin' to the Oldies."
Exercising Doggie Style
Comments Closed - Permanent Link
Cargo Bridge
Flash Physics Game
I wanted to post this game a few weeks ago, but it was a little unstable and had a tendency to crash some browsers. This version appears to be much more stable, at least for me so I feel comfortable posting about it to share with you.
Anyways, Cargo Bridge is a bridge building game where you have to build a stable bridge to get to crates, chests (and even elephants) and return them to the storage facility. You have a limited budget on each stage and the cheaper you can build your bridges, the better. You have to be careful not to make walkways too steep or the workers won't be able to push the objects up them. The first fifteen or so levels aren't too difficult, but after that, the levels seem to really test your engineering capabilities. if you get stuck, you could probably find a solution on Youtube.
Cargo Bridge
Comments Closed - Permanent Link
Flash Physics Game
I wanted to post this game a few weeks ago, but it was a little unstable and had a tendency to crash some browsers. This version appears to be much more stable, at least for me so I feel comfortable posting about it to share with you.
Anyways, Cargo Bridge is a bridge building game where you have to build a stable bridge to get to crates, chests (and even elephants) and return them to the storage facility. You have a limited budget on each stage and the cheaper you can build your bridges, the better. You have to be careful not to make walkways too steep or the workers won't be able to push the objects up them. The first fifteen or so levels aren't too difficult, but after that, the levels seem to really test your engineering capabilities. if you get stuck, you could probably find a solution on Youtube.
Cargo Bridge
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Left 4 Dead In Rock Band 2
Fan Made Crossover
Someone has created a video from Rock Band 2, featuring the survivors from Left 4 Dead made by using the in game character creator. The song used is the ever so appropriate "Pretend That We're Dead" by L7.
Link via Kotaku.
Left 4 Dead In Rock Band 2
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Fan Made Crossover
Someone has created a video from Rock Band 2, featuring the survivors from Left 4 Dead made by using the in game character creator. The song used is the ever so appropriate "Pretend That We're Dead" by L7.
Link via Kotaku.
Left 4 Dead In Rock Band 2
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Tank 2008
Final Assault
Here's a little Friday waster for you to enjoy, Tank 2008. In this frenetic top-down view action shooter, you control your trusty tank to battle various enemies. Purchase power ups and special weapons to help you complete each level's objective. If you don't really care about your score, play recklessly and take advantage of the game's unlimited continues.
Tank 2008
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Final Assault
Here's a little Friday waster for you to enjoy, Tank 2008. In this frenetic top-down view action shooter, you control your trusty tank to battle various enemies. Purchase power ups and special weapons to help you complete each level's objective. If you don't really care about your score, play recklessly and take advantage of the game's unlimited continues.
Tank 2008
Comments Closed - Permanent Link
Spam Illustrations
Unsolicited Inspiration
There have been sites dedicated to creating poetry from SPAM emails. Now someone is finding inspiration from SPAM in a new way by drawing literal interpretations of the subject lines taken from their inbox. Genius!
Spam Illustrations
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Unsolicited Inspiration
There have been sites dedicated to creating poetry from SPAM emails. Now someone is finding inspiration from SPAM in a new way by drawing literal interpretations of the subject lines taken from their inbox. Genius!
Spam Illustrations
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Punch-Out Rap
Watch Your Back, Little Mac, They Mean Business
In preparation of the remake of the classic NES game, Punch-Out!!, coming out next week, Break.com has put together this original video, Punch-Out!! Rap.
Punch-Out Rap
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Watch Your Back, Little Mac, They Mean Business
In preparation of the remake of the classic NES game, Punch-Out!!, coming out next week, Break.com has put together this original video, Punch-Out!! Rap.
Punch-Out Rap
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Soundory
Audio Concentration
This isn't your typical memory game. Instead of using visual cues to remember what is underneath a card, it plays an audio track. The album the audio snippet is taken from is only revealed once you match it to its pair. Even if you think memory type games aren't that fun, it might be worth it to play a couple of times as you might discover some new music.
Soundory
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Audio Concentration
This isn't your typical memory game. Instead of using visual cues to remember what is underneath a card, it plays an audio track. The album the audio snippet is taken from is only revealed once you match it to its pair. Even if you think memory type games aren't that fun, it might be worth it to play a couple of times as you might discover some new music.
Soundory
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