Dan Amrich: more will leave Infinity Ward, lose bonus

Dan Amrich is Activision’s official first-party blogger, and he recently took to Facebook to defend the company and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick in the “Gamers against Bobby Kotick” group. His insights into the situation proved interesting, as he predicts that even more talent will leave Infinity Ward, and in doing so, they lose any right to the bonuses owed for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

He also claims to be confused as to why someone would walk away from bonuses after the game’s completion. Needless to say, there are some theories on that matter.

More will leave, and they’re leaving their money

A gamer on Facebook brought up the fact that Infinity Ward is bleeding talent; as of publication time, 13 employees have left the company since the firing of West and Zampella. “Yep, and that’s not over yet. More people will probably go too, looking for new situations,” Amrich replied, claiming that some may join Respawn Entertainment.

“I’m confused, because by leaving, they are giving up their bonus—and the more people that leave, the bigger the bonus gets for the people who stay. I’d think if you are young and hungry and have a vision for a new game, IW would be a really good place to be right now.”

Amrich thinks that when this drama is over, the talent that sticks around will have the opportunity to step up and redefine the studio.

This makes it sound as if the developers are leaving irrationally, and Activision is chasing them with checks to get them to stay. The truth is that the bonus money is being held up in litigation, and in order for the developers to see that money, the suit needs to be settled. Considering neither of the principals is likely to be short on cash at this stage, the money could be held up in court for years.

So why are people leaving?

The bonus money is, by all accounts, substantial. Is the environment at Infinity Ward truly so toxic that talent is willing to leave it on the table? Activision claimed West and Zampella were out to claim money for themselves that was meant for their staff, but if the two were such demons to work for, why was EA so eager to jump in bed with them?

The problem with Activision management is that it often comes down to money over talent, and no one realizes that the promise of hypothetical future bonuses isn’t enough to get people to stay. There is also the small detail that Call of Duty is set to be, as Kotick has said in the past, “exploited.”

“As for COD, they’ve confirmed three games in the next two years. Seeing as how there is a pattern of one new COD game every year, this is one new COD game from one new developer, and in a different genre from the core games we’ve seen,” Amrich explained via Facebook. “I don’t think that’s comparable to what happened last year with Guitar Hero, but maybe you see it differently.”

Kotick has claimed in the past that they want to move Call of Duty to a subscription model, and an “action-adventure” game is also coming to the franchise, with yet another Call of Duty game also slated for release by the end of the year. Will it be possible to maintain the level of quality Infinity Ward is known for with that schedule of releases? Maybe the talent that built the game into the juggernaut it has become doesn’t think so, and isn’t interested in sticking around for the death rattle.

Meanwhile, West and Zampella are enjoying a wave of positive press in their new venture with EA, as Activision crows over the financial success of Modern Warfare 2 via a press release… giving free publicity to the people who created the game and are no longer with Activision.