West and Zampella
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has commented to analysts and stockholders about the fall-out from the dismissals of Infinity Ward executives Vince Zampella and Jason West, who are now at the EA-funded Respawn.
"Since we terminated the two executives at Infinity Ward, approximately 35 others have resigned", said Kotick in an investor call, "and it is likely that few more people will leave as well."
He then provided some insight into what occurred during the tempestuous days leading up to the sacking of West and Zampella for insubordination.
"The decision, though, to terminate the two Infinity Ward executives was not done lightly. And it was not done to deprive them of their bonuses nor was it done without a great deal of deliberation about the consequences.
"The background leading up to our decision to separate the two former Infinity Ward executives for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty is outlined in our cross complaint that we filed in April, which I'm sure many of you have read. Against this background, we felt we had no choice but to terminate the two Infinity Ward executives. We did this to protect the company's assets and the interest of our shareholders."
Apparently, it wasn't just down to protecting assets however; things got personal.
"I currently consider the two of them friends", says Kotick, "and their conduct was a compromise of our friendship, which is equally disappointing. Once we began to understand what had occurred, there was no grey area. There was nothing that would have allowed us to retain their services, as talented as they might have been."
He rounded off the statement with a nod to ethics, indicating that the Respawn founders could have let their standards drop.
"This is an example of our commitment to pursuing the difficult right rather than the easier wrong. Our actions were firmly rooted in our long-standing values of integrity, and an expectation that our employees, who signed and acknowledged our code of conduct, will behave with the highest ethical standards."
More Activision Blizzard news coming.
"Since we terminated the two executives at Infinity Ward, approximately 35 others have resigned", said Kotick in an investor call, "and it is likely that few more people will leave as well."
He then provided some insight into what occurred during the tempestuous days leading up to the sacking of West and Zampella for insubordination.
"The decision, though, to terminate the two Infinity Ward executives was not done lightly. And it was not done to deprive them of their bonuses nor was it done without a great deal of deliberation about the consequences.
"The background leading up to our decision to separate the two former Infinity Ward executives for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty is outlined in our cross complaint that we filed in April, which I'm sure many of you have read. Against this background, we felt we had no choice but to terminate the two Infinity Ward executives. We did this to protect the company's assets and the interest of our shareholders."
Apparently, it wasn't just down to protecting assets however; things got personal.
"I currently consider the two of them friends", says Kotick, "and their conduct was a compromise of our friendship, which is equally disappointing. Once we began to understand what had occurred, there was no grey area. There was nothing that would have allowed us to retain their services, as talented as they might have been."
He rounded off the statement with a nod to ethics, indicating that the Respawn founders could have let their standards drop.
"This is an example of our commitment to pursuing the difficult right rather than the easier wrong. Our actions were firmly rooted in our long-standing values of integrity, and an expectation that our employees, who signed and acknowledged our code of conduct, will behave with the highest ethical standards."
More Activision Blizzard news coming.
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