Activision vs West/Zampella lawsuit finally settled

After 2 long years the legal battle between the former Infinity Ward heads and Activision has finally come to an end.

West and Zampella had been seeking unpaid royalties and compensation for unfair dismissal in the region of $1 billion. Their new publisher EA was dragged into the fray as well, though that particular dispute was settled a couple of weeks ago.

Now, all 3 parties have released statements indicating that the saga is over. Though the terms of the settlement are “strictly confidential.”

“Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI) today announced that all parties to the litigation have reached a settlement of the dispute, the terms of which are strictly confidential.”

“The company does not believe that the incremental one-time charges related to the settlement will result in a material impact on its GAAP or non-GAAP earnings per share outlook for the current quarter or the calendar year, due to stronger-than-expected operating performance in the current quarter.”

- Activision

I don’t know what the second half of that means but I imagine it means something like, “everything’s peachy now, no need to lower our share prices.”

Respawn Entertainment (West/Zampella) were a little more succinct.

“All parties to the litigation have reached a settlement of the dispute, the terms of which are strictly confidential.”

And EA were a little more outspoken about what they thought of the whole kerfuffle.

“Activision’s refusal to pay their talent and attempt to blame EA were absurd. This settlement is a vindication of Vince and Jason, and the right of creative artists to collect the rewards due for their hard work.”

I’m releasing my own press release right here: