Activision fights Back, Sues Former ‘Modern Warfare’ execs

By Ian Bell Published April 11, 2010

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Activision has countersued two former studio heads overseeing the blockbuster game “Modern Warfare 2,” claiming they were insubordinate and tried to damage the company.

The lawsuit filed Thursday is in response to a claim by former Infinity Ward executives Jason West and Vince Zampella, who sued Activision for more than $36 million earlier this year.

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Activision’s suit claims West and Zampella held up development on other “Call of Duty” games to try to gain more money. The company is seeking to withhold additional payments to the men, who they claim also kept bonuses from Infinity Ward employees.

West and Zampella’s attorney did not immediately respond to a phone message Friday.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” was one of last year’s best-selling video games.

News dropped in March of this year that Activision would be firing the two employees citing insubordination. Quickly following their departure, both executives followed up with a lawsuit claiming the two were let go so Activision could stop having to pay royalties. The mud is still fresh and the slinging has just begun.

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How to play as Nicki Minaj in Call of Duty

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After Fortnite unleashed a flood of crossovers into the gaming world, there's almost nothing that's off the table anymore. Call of Duty getting a Nicki Minaj operator, for example, would likely never have happened 10 years ago, and yet here we are. The rapper/singer is often called the Queen of Rap, but she's expanded her talents to dolphin-diving and no-scoping noobs on the battlefield. If you want to strut your stuff as Minaj in your next match, complete with her own set of pink weapons and vehicle skin, there are a few bits of information you need to know before loading up your next game.
Can you play as Nicki Minaj in Call of Duty?
Nicki Minaj was introduced in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone on August 24, 2023, as part of Season 5 alongside Snoop Dogg and 21 Savage. They were all purchasable in the in-game store for 2,400 CoD Points. Minaj's bundle was titled the Tracer Pack and included her skin, blueprints for her battle rifle and shotgun, a finishing move, vehicle skin, weapon charm, loading screen, emblem, and sticker.

Unfortunately, the Tracer Pack bundle was completely removed from the store as of around six months ago. There's no firm reason as to why her skin was removed or if the developers intend to bring her back. While it is possible her skin will be put back into the shop, it is too hard to say if or when that will ever happen due to the unclear nature of why it was removed in the first place.

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Is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 cross-platform?

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the latest addition to the award-winning franchise that most of us have been playing for well over a decade. Beyond the enhanced graphics, refined mechanics, and new gameplay features, one of the biggest draws to the COD world has always been online multiplayer. Not only does multiplayer return for MW3, but there’s more to love about the competitive space than ever before.

But not everyone owns the same version of Call of Duty. Some of us are playing on our next-gen consoles, while others are rocking gaming PCs. So what does this mean when it comes time to join others online? Does MW3 support cross-platform gameplay? The answer is a bit more complex, but here’s all the facts.
Does Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 have cross-platform support?

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These Activision Blizzard games need to come to Xbox Game Pass this year

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In October 2023, Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and by the end of the year, the latter company's CEO had departed. Now, this will be the year where we’ll see how Activision Blizzard functions when fully integrated into Microsoft. The most immediate change for those who play games will likely be Activision Blizzard titles coming to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription service.

Microsoft and Activision have explained that because of the tribulations the acquisition encountered, it was impossible to have Xbox Game Pass additions prepared almost immediately after the acquisition, as it did with ZeniMax Media. In the coming months, I expect we’ll finally start to see Activision Blizzard games trickle onto the service, even if we shouldn't expect it from this week's Developer_Direct. As Activision Blizzard is one of the oldest game publishers out there, having released hundreds of games, there are plenty of titles to choose from. I’ve cherry-picked the ones I want to see most.
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