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?

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If you didn’t already have a reason to dislike Justin Bieber (besides the fact that he’s cuter than you), here comes some source information for your first hate-filled forum post.

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Toby McCasker, the Deputy Entertainment Editor for Australia’s Zoo Weekly, has allegedly been let go from the magazine over issues that arose with Rockstar Games.  While the specifics are unclear, what we do know is that McCasker posted contents of an email he claims was sent by Rockstar, one that demanded its new game, Red Dead Redemption, be treated with a little more respect.

Here’s what he posted:
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This Infinity Ward thing has definitely been the story to watch over the last month or so, and it looks like it might continue to be the one to watch in the near future.  According to MTV Multiplayer, lead designer Todd Alderman and lead software engineer Francesco Gigliotti have both tendered their resignations and are no longer working with the studio.

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Ubisoft piqued the curiosity of quite a few gaming sites when it announced that Splinter Cell Conviction would be arriving on PC April 27, two full weeks after the game’s Xbox 360 launch.  The gaming community was quick to assume that the delay could only be related to Ubisoft’s now-legendarily terrible DRM system, which requires players to maintain a constant internet connection in order to access the games they buy, however the company is trying to squash these rumors and explains the delay was caused by the game needing extra “polish.”

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Some gamers may remember Afterburner as an eyeball-melting run through some of the best arcade graphics of the time, but I remember it more specifically as a soul-crushing monster that remorselessly stole every quarter my dad was willing to give me.  Revenge is a dish best served cold, however, and the tide is about to turn.

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Nerdy weirdos rejoice – GameCrush is a service launching this week that promises to set male gamers up with sexy female counterparts.  For a fee, of course.  The site essentially allows you to select the girl of your choice, then pay money to talk to them while playing video games, with a current rate of about $9 for ten minutes.

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If there’s one thing you can say about Activision, it’s that they know how to squeeze every last dime out of their products.  The recently announced Stimulus Package DLC map pack for Modern Warfare 2 is no exception, and honestly the name couldn’t be more accurate.

It is a stimulus package.  For Activision’s bank account.  However, many MW2 players are throwing a hissy fit about the cost of the expansion – $15 for 5 maps, two of which are revamped maps from an older game – and are doing their very best to pretend like they’re not going to pay for it.

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Okay, so I don’t know that for a fact since I don’t have game companies beating down my door to hand me review copies or free hardware (yet), but I do have the ability to read and a good internet connection, and so do you.

This means you can hop over to Kotaku and read Brian Crecente’s hands-on with a current build of the game.  Crecente is pretty reliable, so the chances are good that if he likes the game, you will too.

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I don’t know where companies are getting the idea that putting a number in the place of a letter is a good idea for sequels, but let me go ahead and clear it up in case any industry heavyweights are reading this – No.  It’s not.  Stop it.

Anyway, a user over at Neogaf has posted a scan of an ad from a Spanish-language magazine that supposedly confirms the existence of a third game in the F.E.A.R. franchise, and promises more details in next month’s issue.

Let’s hope one of those details is a better title.  Check out the full scan after the jump.

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