Top Activision Executive: "We Treat Our Developers Extremely Well"
Thomas Tippl almost responds
Activision Blizzard versus West and Zampella ex of Infinity Ward is shaping up to be something of a PR and legal head-scratcher for the company. It's Chief Operations Officer, Thomas Tippl has taken to the frontline with some comments about the situation.
He responds to an LA Times question, "There's a lot of sympathy out there for West and Zampella expressed on fan sites and gaming sites. But Activision is being painted as a greedy corporate overlord. How does this sit with you?" as follows:
"We treat our developers extremely well. 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. We've been paying our talent millions of dollars for their work. Our setup provides a win-win opportunity. We ensure your work will reach a wide audience. Therefore, we have attracted, and we will continue to attract, the top talent in this industry."
He does, however, side-step answering a question about whether fans should be worried about more staff leaving Infinity Ward with...
"It's not a secret that Call of Duty has been one of the most successful franchises in the industry. The franchise plays an extremely important role within the overall plans for Activision. A couple of weeks ago, we announced we will get more focused with a dedicated Call of Duty business to rally the best talent of the company against the opportunity that Call of Duty presents for the company. We've had multiple studios working with the franchise so we can come up with innovative, new content every year. Nobody should be surprised that we will continue to focus disproportionately against the franchise."
Full interview at the LA Times.
He responds to an LA Times question, "There's a lot of sympathy out there for West and Zampella expressed on fan sites and gaming sites. But Activision is being painted as a greedy corporate overlord. How does this sit with you?" as follows:
"We treat our developers extremely well. 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. We've been paying our talent millions of dollars for their work. Our setup provides a win-win opportunity. We ensure your work will reach a wide audience. Therefore, we have attracted, and we will continue to attract, the top talent in this industry."
He does, however, side-step answering a question about whether fans should be worried about more staff leaving Infinity Ward with...
"It's not a secret that Call of Duty has been one of the most successful franchises in the industry. The franchise plays an extremely important role within the overall plans for Activision. A couple of weeks ago, we announced we will get more focused with a dedicated Call of Duty business to rally the best talent of the company against the opportunity that Call of Duty presents for the company. We've had multiple studios working with the franchise so we can come up with innovative, new content every year. Nobody should be surprised that we will continue to focus disproportionately against the franchise."
Full interview at the LA Times.
Companies:
Activision Blizzard
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