Activision wins first round in West/Zampella lawsuit

One of the two fraud charges levelled at Activision by former employees and Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vincent Zampella has been dismissed by a US court.

The remarkable story of the corporate fallout between Activision and the development pair began in March 2010 when it was revealed that the publisher had both men frog marched out of the Infinity Ward offices.

Several employees quit the developer amidst the mud slinging and bitterness of the dispute, with Activision later deciding to sue EA over the whole ordeal.

Why EA? Well, claims were made that both West and Zampella were already in bed with Activision’s arch rival long before the waters become turbulent. The fact that West and Zampella’s new studio, Respawn Entertainment, signed a publishing deal with EA probably didn’t help much either.

Once the dust had settled both sides laid bare their claims. Activision argues that the pair had already planned a defection to EA whilst still working on Modern Warfare 2. It currently wants $400m in compensation from EA.

West and Zampella, meanwhile, say that they were sacked to save Activision the pain of paying them bonuses and royalties owed to them.

Back in the present Activision’s success in convincing State Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle to dismiss one of the fraud claims levelled against it is a success, for sure, but it’s not enough to stop everyone being dragged into court on May 7th.