Infinity Ward Working on Modern Warfare MMO (MW3)

[Shack]

Infinity Ward Working on Modern Warfare MMO

The ongoing litigation between Infinity Ward and Activision has revealed a startling and exciting fact, one that’s been brought up before. Call of Duty is taking their multiplayer

success to the next level, Modern Warfare 3 will be an FPS MMO.

The leaked legal document that Game Rant has acquired contains an absurd amount of details about the forthcoming MMO. Due to the rising costs of providing servers for online matchmaking and competition, Activision is literally forcing Infinity Ward to develop a Call of Duty that is consistently online. This way they can charge a monthly subscription on top of their popular DLC packages.

Here’s a list of details that we have pulled from the leaked document:

* The game’s planned name is Modern Warfare: Online, removing the Call of Duty moniker like they had intended to do with Modern Warfare 2.

* There will be no offline single player experience, instead you will form squads with other online players and complete assigned missions.

* Rank and level will provide distinct advantages, forcing players to progress in order to play the majority of the game.

* A competitive matchmaking system similar to the current Modern warfare will be available at all points in the game, but will be restricted to players of similar level/rank.

* There will also be massive battles in persistent environments throughout the game. Hundreds of players will battle of objectives, a la World of WarCraft’s open world PvP.

* Map packs, or something similar, will still be created, only they will be marketed as expansion packs instead.

There’s plenty more in the document, so be sure to check it out the document we have below (click here for a larger version). It seems like the MMO will play a prominent part in the upcoming legal battle. There’s issues of creative freedom, ownership, and more importantly money associated with the game and those issues relate to the recent firings.

Sounds pretty cool, even though the "leaked" docs do not seem to come in. I have also heard a rumor of MW3 being set in Vietnam (late 60's to early 70's style ). I am starting to look forward to another game hopefully by next fall. I guess I am looking forward. It will depend on how much a month we are talking about if the above is possibly true.

IMO a total on-line Modern Warefare would not be bad at all. It does beg to ask the question (same with the Stimulus Map Pack) of "Do we really own this gaming experience?"...

[DTro]

oh this could be very very bad

I've seen what WarCraft can do to people. I'm afraid for my future.

[Shack]

Ya, it could be bad. Very, very, very bad.

They just have to figure this feud garbage out.

Quote:

38 Infinity Ward employees sue Activision for $75 million-$125 million

April 27th, 2010 at 3:33 pm -

While we’re all about MMOs, we’re following this because a) Activision owns Blizzard, and Activision is run by a herd of douchebags.

In the beginning, the two executives dismissed by Activision, Jason West and Vince Zampella, filed a $36 million lawsuit against the company. Both were the founders of Infinity Ward. Weeks later, Activision responded by filing a countersuit. This accused the two developers of being “self-serving schemers” trying to set up a new studio with the help of an unnamed Northern California publisher while still at Activision.

West and Zampella announced the formation Respawn Entertainment which was created with seed money by Electronic Arts. Well two weeks following that, apparently a third lawsuit has been filed. It is now being reported that 38 members of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 team are now themselves suing Activision, claiming the publisher withheld $54 million in 2009 profits from the game.

38 plaintiffs, calling themselves the “Infinity Ward Employee Group,” against Activision have filed the case in Los Angeles Superior Court. The Infinity Ward Employee Group (or IWEG) alleges breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, violation of California labor code and more. The group is after a large amount of unpaid royalties.

Bruce Issacs, one of the IWEG’s attorneys at Wyman & Issacs LLP states, “Activision owes my clients approximately $75 million to $125 million dollars. Activision has withheld most of the money to force many of my people to stay, some against their will, so that they would finish the delivery of Modern Warfare 3. That is not what they wanted to do. Many of them. My clients’ entitled to their money. Activision has no right to withhold their money — our money.”

The IWEG contains “a significant portion of the members of the creative team” who “designed, developed and delivered” Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to Activision. According to the lawsuit, $28 million has been delivered to Infinity Ward employees for bonuses related to Modern Warfare 2, but the suit alleges at least $54 million is still due from 2009 profits alone.

The IWEG is looking “to recover between $75 million and $125 million, if not more, in compensatory damages.” That number’s derived from:

# Unpaid bonuses from 2009 and 2010 sales generated by Modern Warfare 2 — fourth quarter 2009 and first quarter 2010, specifically.

# Bonuses “due and owing to them” past first quarter 2010.

# “Bonus/royalty/profit participation” related to “technology/engine” royalties, “other special performance bonuses,” “other studio bonuses” or “any other bonus/royalty/profit participation.”‘

# Lost value on “restricted stock units” that Activision “promised” would vest (read: own it in your own name and purchase it from Activision) when Modern Warfare 2 sales eclipsed Modern Warfare 1, which “has long ago occurred.”

# Money owed as it relates to Modern Warfare 2 “sister games, including but not limited to” the oft-mentioned Modern Warfare 3, “if Modern Warfare 3 is ultimately delivered and marketed.”

# Interest rates related to the above sums of money.

The IWEG alleges Activision has “improperly withheld this specifically identifiable sum of money from the members of IWEG in order to force them to keep working for Activision so that Activision could receive delivery of Modern Warfare 3.” The suit alleges Activision “made a calculated, purposeful and malicious decision” to withhold proper bonuses “in an attempt to force employees of Infinity Ward to continue to work at a job that many of them did not want just so Activision could force them to complete the development, production and delivery of Modern Warfare 3.”

“In short,” reads the lawsuit, “Activision withheld the property of the IWEG in an attempt to keep the employees hostage so that Activision could reap the benefit of the completion of Modern Warfare 3.”

Activision has issued a brief response to the lawsuit:

Activision believes the action is without merit,” said a company spokesperson over e-mail just moments ago. “Activision retains the discretion to determine the amount and the schedule of bonus payments for MW2 and has acted consistent with its rights and the law at all times. We look forward to getting judicial confirmation that our position is right.

The full list of plantiffs mentioned in the suit (not all of them have left Infinity Ward): Todd Alderman, Frank Gigliotti, Roger Abrahamsson, Brad Allen, Mohammad Alavi, Richard Baker, Chad Barb, Keith Bell, Chris Cherubini, Taihoon William Cho, Chris Dionne, Joel Emslie, Robert Field, Steve Fuduka, Robert Gaines, Chance Glasco, Preston Glenn, Joel Gompert, Chad Grenier, Mark Grigsby, John Haggerty, Jacob Michael Keating, Chris Lambert, Ryan Lastimosa, Fairfax S. McCandlish IV, Jason McCord, Brent Mcleod, John Paul Messerly, Stephen Miller, Zied Rieke, Jon Shiring, John Slayback, Richard Smith, Geoffery Smith, Jiesang Song, Todd Sue, Rayme C. Vinson and Lei Yang. All are represented by Wyman & Issacs LLP located in Los Angeles.

via G4 and Gamespot

Once you involve money in even something you love to do (or produce), it can turn it sour very quick. It sounds like money, and more money.

[Larry FlatCaster]

Interesting stuff....

Shack, you and I will hit the ground running when the next round comes out...

Then.... every one else can LTFO

[silverbulletguy]

What does "MMO" stand for?

[LwnmwnMan2]

What does "MMO" stand for?

Massive multiplayer online

[CJH]

Interesting they are still mentioning IW, when I was pretty sure they had moved this to a different developer.

Glad they are going to have a larger scale, that was one of the things that disappointed me with MW2.

Not sure about the MMO online fees.............guess it depends on how much you pay up front and how much it will be each month.

[shnelson]

This is bad news for me, nothing will get done around the house once it is released.

Can't wait to hear more about it, I enjoyed world of warcraft for a while but then realized I was a grown man playing with cartoon characters. Now I will be a grown man playing with GI Joe's .

[Shack]

You know it Larry!

I enjoyed world of warcraft for a while but then realized I was a grown man playing with cartoon characters. Now I will be a grown man playing with GI Joe's .

My wife says the same thing to me about me interest in fishing "You and your stupid fishing". I have tried to explain to her that fishing is an adult thing, but never seems to work. Pure enjoyment as an adult will never come across as being "Adult".

Seen you playing in some S&D last Nelson. I put on the head set and said "whats up Nelson", but I guess we had someone with the name nelson playing also. The guy started sending messages to me like I knew him. I will say you are the first one I have seen who successfully snatched the bomb control case out of the hands of a sandbager. I have no clue why they have to wait until .05 seconds are left. Our team yesterday lost two entire matches because of this foolishness. If I get in a group who does this I back out and find a new match.

Maybe see you guys on tonight.

[Jim Uran]

I have also heard a rumor of MW3 being set in Vietnam (late 60's to early 70's style

The next Call of Duty game will be set in the 60's or 70's...

Modern Warfare is trying to seperate itself from Call of Duty's shadow is what I got out of the article.. And I'll be on tonight to go shoot some bad guys since it's raining like a mother you know what out.

[shnelson]

Seen you playing in some S&D last Nelson. I put on the head set and said "whats up Nelson", but I guess we had someone with the name nelson playing also. The guy started sending messages to me like I knew him. I will say you are the first one I have seen who successfully snatched the bomb control case out of the hands of a sandbager. I have no clue why they have to wait until .05 seconds are left. Our team yesterday lost two entire matches because of this foolishness. If I get in a group who does this I back out and find a new match.

Maybe see you guys on tonight.

I thought I had heard my name, but when I first jumped in I thought I saw you didn't have a mic so I took my headset off when the kiddos wouldn't shut up about getting high in science class . I couldn't believe I snatched the defuse on that round either, I always get irritated with people that sandbag like that. WIN THE ROUND AND GET ON WITH IT! I've only got a limited time to play most nights so I want to rack up as many points as quickly as I can .

I'll be jumping on tonight for a bit, especially if the rain hits and prohibits me from working on the deck.

[Shack]

Lately when playing on my own I just mute everyone who is talking. Sometimes I just can not stand the things I hear when at first I could. I noticed you where on when in High-rise and that riot shield guy was camping out in the back office. I came up from the basement and went back their to reload and did not even see him. At least my death was a signal flare to send you guys into the area. Then I seen your screen name on the final kill cam when you split the scull of the the riot shield camper.

[Larry FlatCaster]

I might have to put a call into Jimmy Buffet "searching for my lost shaker of salt" and find you over by the deal!

[GatorBait]

I was addicted to WOW for 5years, pretty much cost me a marriage, so this won't be good for the enviornment. MMO's are just stupid addictive. I'd be highly surprised if they went back to a Vietnam era game, that and WWII has been beat up and down by the gaming industry in the last 10years. Who knows though, I can't see it being GOTY if it goes back to that. Bring it on though, I'll be waiting.

[Jim Uran]

I was addicted to WOW for 5years, pretty much cost me a marriage, so this won't be good for the enviornment. MMO's are just stupid addictive. I'd be highly surprised if they went back to a Vietnam era game, that and WWII has been beat up and down by the gaming industry in the last 10years. Who knows though, I can't see it being GOTY if it goes back to that. Bring it on though, I'll be waiting.

Ahhh I finally bought a blender, and I have the fixings for some ol Jimmy Buffet Juice, I'll meet you guys over by the deal tonight. Dang, it's been a while. I MISS YOU GUYS

[LMITOUT]

I'd be highly surprised if they went back to a Vietnam era game, that and WWII has been beat up and down by the gaming industry in the last 10years.

There has been talk of a Vietnam themed COD for a while now. Others may have done games like that, but not the COD franchise and they do it the right way.

[zamboni]

I agree with LMIT on that. I have been wanting a Vietnam COD themed game for awhile.

[GatorBait]

I have no doubt it would be the best vietnam console game, and will probably have props on the PC seeing there hasn't been one in the last 6 years. Dice did it right in BF's version, you had punji traps which was just awesome, but that is considered ancient to today's standards. If they are going to do it, I hope it's just awesome, cause I enjoy the vietnam era as long as it's not a rush job. Gimme an AH-1 Cobra and engineering kit, and hope you ain't on the other team.

[spearchucker]

COD:Vietnam is a fact, not a rumor. I think it is going to be announce in the next few days.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Thats what Ive heard too. Not being made by IW, not even sure if its Treyarch but sound like Vietnam era and working title is Black Ops.

[CJH]

Originally Posted By: Shackbash

I have also heard a rumor of MW3 being set in Vietnam (late 60's to early 70's style

The next Call of Duty game will be set in the 60's or 70's...

Modern Warfare is trying to seperate itself from Call of Duty's shadow is what I got out of the article.. And I'll be on tonight to go shoot some bad guys since it's raining like a mother you know what out.

Exactly right. COD will be set in the past, MW won't.

[GatorBait]

COD: Black Ops....Hmmm. I'm confused now. I guess I'll have to tune into Spike tv for the teaser trailer tonight to get the real low down on it.