In the last couple of months, one story has reigned supreme in the world of video game news – the rancorous battle of words and legal hearsay between Activision and former employees of its subsidiary studio, Infinity Ward.  What began as rumors of a hostile-takeover-like ousting of two top employees has escalated into a full-on media blitz of stories involving unpaid royalties, secret trips to other studios, and enough lawyer-speak to write the next three seasons of Law and Order.

As with any public argument involving an incredibly successful piece of creative property, the blogs and ‘news’ sites of the world have been quick to jump in on who they think is in the right.  But the real question here is simple:  How can anyone really be sure?

Here’s what we know:

We know that very important people from Infinity Ward were sent packing by Activision.  We know that these very important people have filed a lawsuit against the behemoth publisher over unpaid royalties, and we also know that the company has fired back with allegations of insubordination such as courting other publishers and holding the development of Modern Warfare hostage over better rates.    We know that EA has swept in and picked up these two ex-IW employees, and that they’ve been given the go-ahead on starting a new studio.  Finally, we know that Infinity Ward is hemorrhaging employees, with four more losses being made public just yesterday.

What we don’t know, however, is how much of this information is 100% accurate.  There also doesn’t seem to be a clear answer on who actually owns the rights to Modern Warfare – some news outlets are calling it Activision’s, some are claiming that while Activision owns Call of Duty, Modern Warfare belongs exclusively to Infinity Ward (and thus, possibly to its former employees).  While all of the name-calling, sneaking around, and royalty paying issues may be brought up in court, the only thing that actually matters is who gets to make more Modern Warfare games.

At the end of the day, there’s no telling what went down between these dudes and Activision, and the legal battle will probably only tell half of the story (how much of your every day interaction with your boss is on paper?).  However, if I had to pick sides on this one, I’d be more than willing to bet that Modern Warfare 3 (and 4, and 5) won’t be coming from EA.

What do you think?  Is Activision a soul-crushing devil?  Did the guys at Infinity Ward over-step their bounds?  Should we all just get back to knifing people and let the suits figure it out?  Sound off in the comments.

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