NEWS - Tuesday, April 20, 2010
![](/images/news/avatars/241.jpg)
Activision Says Treats Developers Extremely Well
A day can nary go by without another piece of news from the Activision feud. Though the publishing giant has been mostly quiet during the controversy, today an L.A. Times interview with Activision COO/CFO Thomas Tippl granted some insight to the legal battle from the companys point of view. "We treat our developers extremely well," said Tippl. "We have an independent studio model that provides them a lot of creative freedom while we take care of the back office stuff so they can focus on making games. If their games are successful, they are compensated better here than anywhere else." He goes on to call it a "win-win" opportunity, and says they are confident they will "continue to attract the top talent in this industry."
Responding to rumors of a lack of leadership at Infinity Ward, Tippl was dismissive. "We have interim leadership in place," he said. "We have two senior execs currently: Steve Pearce, our chief technology offer, and Steve Ackrich, who is head of production for the company. We are currently in the process of configuring the new leadership team there. Infinity Ward still has nearly 100 people. Theyve built a deep bench, and the change of the guard will provide an opportunity for some of the rising stars to put their own stamp on the Call of Duty franchise."
Tippl certainly seems confident that the developer isnt in dire trouble, but the corporate higher-ups cant be happy about all the recent departures. This is probably a story that will continue on for quite a while, so we can expect much more out of West, Zampella, and Activision brass before its over.
Source: http://www.1up.com